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en-usPRN Asia5http://en.prnasia.com/story/185539-0.shtmlImprove Business Layout To Strengthen Leading Position

HONG KONG, Aug. 18, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Dragon Crown Group Holdings Limited ("Dragon Crown Group" or the "Company") (SEHK code: 935), a leading integrated terminal service provider in China, specialising in the handling and storage of liquid petrochemical products, announced the unaudited interim results of the Company and its subsidiaries (collectively referred as the "Group") for the six months ended 30 June 2017 (the "Reporting Period").

During the Reporting Period, the Group recorded a revenue of HK$113.0 million (2016: HK$129.0 million) (However, if the actual amount is expressed in Renminbi, the revenue of the Group was decreased by 8.0% from RMB108.6 million in the same period of 2016 to RMB99.9 million for the Reporting Period.) The decrease was mainly due to the depreciation of Renminbi against Hong Kong dollar and the decrease in revenue in respect of spot and individual ethylene customers. Gross profit was HK$60.8 million (2016: HK$70.8 million). The gross profit ratio was 53.8% (2016: 54.9%). Profit before tax was HK$42.7 million (2016: HK$53.8 million). Profit attributable to owners of the Company was decreased to HK$25.4 million (2016: HK$40.1 million), which was mainly due to the decrease in the Group's revenue as mentioned above and the significant increase in tax expense due to the expiry of the preferential tax treatment with 50% deduction in the corporate income tax of the Company's major subsidiary in Mainland China since 1 January 2017. Earnings per share was HK2.08 cents (2016: HK3.61 cents). The Board has declared an interim dividend of HK1.5 cents per share (2016: HK2.0 cents).

During the Reporting Period, Dragon Crown Group continued to maintain a healthy financial position. As at 30 June 2017, cash and cash equivalents reached HK$205.9 million (as at 31 December 2016: HK$208.1 million) and a low gearing ratio of 2.1% (as at 31 December 2016: 1.9%) was achieved.

During the Reporting Period, the Group has been actively exploring existing and new business relationships and collaboration opportunities. The PRC government has promulgated favourable policies to liberalise crude oil import and usage in the PRC and has therefore boosted the growth of the Shandong teapot refinery and petrochemical industries, resulting in a surge in demand for oil and chemicals terminal and storage services. The acquisition of 50% equity interest in Weifang Sime Darby Liquid Terminal Co., Ltd. ("WSDL") in January 2016 is expected to bring infinite opportunities to the Group. Weifang Liquid Terminal is the advanced national terminal with the highest safety standards. It is located at a gateway to North-eastern Asian economic powerhouses. As a strategic interchange between the Bohai Economic Basin and the Yangtze Economic Basin, Weifang Liquid Terminal can provide services to oil refineries and chemical production plants located within its 300km radius.

The construction of the first phase of the Weifang Liquid Terminal has been completed during the Reporting Period and would commence operation in the third quarter of 2017. The second phase of the Weifang Liquid Terminal is at the final stage of construction and is expected to be completed by the end of third quarter of 2017. There are already a number of oil and chemical storage partnerships being entered into with customers during the Reporting Period. Up to now, almost 90% of tank capacity for both the first and second phases have been contracted and rent out to the customers.

Mr. Ng Wai Man, Chairman of Dragon Crown Group, concluded: "As our main business objective, we have always been consolidating and enhancing our leading position in the coastal regions of China, particularly along the Yangtze River Delta and Bohai Bay regions. With the strong support of the national policies, we believe to realise the full potential of the exciting opportunities for the future development.

Looking forward, the third phase of the Weifang Liquid Terminal has just commenced its construction during the Reporting Period and is expected to be completed at the end of 2017. Several potential customers are in negotiation for renting the tank capacity in the third phase already. In addition, the completion and operation of the surrounding railway of Weifang Liquid Terminal in 2019 will definitely enhance the flexibility and reliability of the terminal, as well as convenience for customers in the future. We believe that the nationwide advanced Weifang Liquid Terminal will definitely create economic benefits to the Group in the following years, and becomes a new drive for growth of the Group. We will continue to grow, and remain committed to achieving more positive financial results and delivering greater value to our shareholders."

－End－

About Dragon Crown Group Holdings Limited (Stock Code: 935)

Founded in 1990, Dragon Crown Group Holdings Limited is one of the leading integrated terminal service providers in China, specialising in the handling and storage of liquid petrochemical products. Currently operating the terminals in Nanjing, Ningbo and Weifang, respectively. The Group offers a comprehensive range of high quality liquid petrochemical services ranging from the loading and discharging of liquid petrochemical products at its jetties to the storage of liquid petrochemical products at its tank farm, as well as the delivery of such products by utilizing its dedicated pipelines and other terminal infrastructure.

"In the second quarter of 2017, our legacy dyeing machine business experienced a slight downtick in revenue along with higher raw materials costs, which contributed to lower margins a loss for the quarter. Despite this, we closed the quarter with positive operating cash flow and a stronger cash position," said Mr. Jianhua Wu, Chairman and CEO of Cleantech Solutions. "In the near-term, we expect our dyeing machine business to remain relatively stable. At the same time, we are excited about the opportunities for long-term growth we are pursuing in the global technology and sharing economy markets."

Mr. Parkson Yip, Cleantech Solutions' COO commented, "Having joined Cleantech Solutions just a few months ago, I am pleased with our progress in executing our long-term growth initiatives, especially those geared toward collaborative consumption and have a positive impact on the environment. We recently announced our global sharing bike business, which addresses one of the fastest growing markets in the world today. Our solution will provide the most convenient way for users to enjoy the benefits of bike sharing wherever they go. We continue to add regional bicycle operators to our platform and look forward to releasing the app in the fourth quarter of 2017.

"We also see strong potential in the portable mobile phone charger rental business, particularly in China and other countries in South Asia, where billions of mobile phone users who embrace the sharing economy are seeking affordable and reliable charging methods. Our solution hopes to reduce the unnecessary increase of portable mobile phone chargers and at the same time provide immediate convenience to users when they are in need. We target to expand the portable mobile phone charger rental business across major markets in China and Asia within the coming quarter, and will begin penetrating across the globe before year end. I believe these new business initiatives will establish a foundation for the Company to return to growth via new economy models."

Second Quarter 2017 Results

Revenue for the second quarter of 2017 declined by 5.3% to $3,712,000, compared to $3,918,000 for the same period in 2016. The Company's only source of revenue is from the dyeing and finishing business since the forged rolled rings and related products and petroleum and chemical equipment businesses are discontinued.

Gross profit for the second quarter of 2017 was $443,000, compared to gross profit of $591,000 for the same period in 2016. Gross margin was 11.9% during the second quarter of 2017 compared to 15.1% for the same period in 2016. The decline in gross margin was primarily attributable to higher raw material costs.

Operating expenses increased by 109.2% to $941,000, compared to $450,000 for the same period in 2016. The increase was primarily due to an increase in professional fees, including stock-based consulting fees, payroll and related benefits, depreciation, and research and development expenses for the development of new dyeing and finishing products.

Loss from operations was $498,000, compared to income from operations of $141,000 for the same period in 2016.

Loss from continuing operations was $521,000, or $(0.30) per basic and diluted share, compared to income from continuing operations of $69,000, or $(0.06) per basic and diluted share for the same period in 2016.

Loss from discontinued operations (Refer to "Discontinued Operations" discussion below) was nil for the second quarter of 2017. This compares to a loss from discontinued operations of $749,000, or $(0.67) per basic and diluted share for the second quarter of 2016.

Net loss for the second quarter of 2017 was $521,000, or $(0.30) per basic and diluted share, compared to net loss of $680,000, or $(0.61) per basic and diluted share, for the same period in 2016.

Basic and diluted earnings per share were based on 1,730,952 and 1,121,251 weighted average shares outstanding, respectively, for the three months ended June 30, 2017, and 2016. All share and per share information has been adjusted to reflect a 1-for-4 reverse stock split effective March 20, 2017.

Six Month Results

For the six months ended June 30, 2017, revenue was $8,369,000 compared to $8,445,000 in the first half of 2016. Gross profit was $1,029,000, down from $1,412,000 in the first half of 2016. Gross margin was 12.3%, compared to 16.7% in the first half of 2016. Loss from operations was $594,000 compared to income from operations of $185,000 in the first half of 2016. Loss from continuing operations was $668,000, or $(0.46) per basic and diluted share, compared to a loss from continuing operations of $34,000, or $(0.03) per basic and diluted share for the same period in 2016. Loss from discontinued operations was nil for the second half of 2017, compared to a loss from discontinued operations of $1,490,000, or $(1.39) per basic and diluted share for the first half of 2016. Net loss for the first half of 2017 was $668,000, or $(0.46) per basic and diluted share, compared to a net loss of $1,524,000, or ($1.42) per basic and diluted share, in the first half of 2016. Basic and diluted earnings per share were based on 1,455,506 and 1,073,212 weighted average shares outstanding, respectively, for the six months ended June 30, 2017, and 2016. All share and per share information has been adjusted to reflect a 1-for-4 reverse stock split effective March 20, 2017.

Financial Condition

As of June 30, 2017, Cleantech Solutions held cash and cash equivalents of $5,523,000 compared to $1,481,000 at December 31, 2016. Accounts receivable were $15,024,000 compared to $13,922,000 at December 31, 2016. Inventories were $3,492,000 compared to $2,394,000 at December 31, 2016. The Company had $1,475,000 and $280,000 in short-term bank loans and bank acceptance notes payable, respectively, at June 30, 2017, down from $2,160,000 and $547,000, respectively, at December 31, 2016. Working capital was $24,844,000 at June 30, 2017 compared to $21,539,000 at December 31, 2016. Stockholders' equity was $67,517,000 at June 30, 2017 compared to $65,312,000 at December 31, 2016.

In the first half of 2017, the Company generated $1,610,000 in operating cash flow, primarily due to an increase in accounts payable and a decrease in prepaid and other current assets, which were offset by increases in accounts receivables and inventory and the net loss for the period. The Company generated $2,081,000 in cash flow from investing activities, primarily related to receipt of the second installment payment from the sale of Wuxi Fulland Wind Energy Equipment Co., Ltd. ("Fulland Wind") in the second quarter of 2017. The Company generated $265,000 in cash flow from financing activities, primarily due to $860,000 in net proceeds from a private placement transaction in June 2017, which was partially offset by a reduction in short term debt.

Recent Events

In August 2017, the Company's wholly-owned subsidiary, EC Power (Global), signed an agreement with ECoin Global Limited ("ECoin") for the purchase of ECoin redemption codes with an aggregate value of $50 million for total consideration of $20 million. The Company plans to resell the redemption codes in the form of ECrent gift cards at global locals through reseller channels, such as convenience stores. The Company's subsidiary has entered into an agreement with InComm, a global pre-payment network and solution provider and will start selling the redemption codes with face values of HK$100, HK$300 and HK$500 at major convenience store networks in Hong Kong and Macau beginning in August 2017. Other international locations will follow. Pursuant to the agreement, the Company will pay ECoin total consideration of $20 million in four annual installments in an amount equal to 50% of the net sale proceeds of the redemption codes sold during each calendar year. The value of any unsold redemption codes at the expiration of the agreement will be paid to ECoin using shares of the Company's stock and not more than 19% of issued and outstanding ordinary shares of the Company.

In July 2017, the Company announced that it launched a global bike sharing app service and joined together with local sharing bike operators in Hong Kong. The Company has partnered with Hong Kong-based sharing bike operators and plans to add more regional bicycle operators to the platform. The Company has established a Hong Kong based subsidiary, Global Bike Share (Mobile App) Limited, and expects the mobile app business to commence operations in the fourth quarter of 2017.

In July 2017, the Company's board of directors formed a special committee comprised of three independent directors of the Company to evaluate and engage in discussions with ECrent Capital Holdings Limited ("ECrent") regarding potential business cooperation between the two companies and a potential acquisition by the Company of ECrent (collectively, the "Potential Transactions"). All three members of the Special Committee are unaffiliated with ECrent and not management members of the Company. The Special Committee retained Duff & Phelps, LLC as its financial advisor to assist it in its review and evaluation of the Potential Transactions. The Company cautions its shareholders and others considering trading its securities that neither the Special Committee nor the Board has set a definitive timetable for the completion of its evaluation of and discussion regarding the Potential Transactions or any other alternative transaction and the Company does not currently intend to announce development unless and until an agreement has been reached. There can be no assurances that any definitive agreement will be executed relating to the Proposed Transactions, or that the Proposed Transactions or any other transaction will be approved or consummated.

Conference Call

Cleantech Solutions will conduct a conference call at 8:00 a.m. Eastern Time on Tuesday, August 15, to discuss financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2017. To participate in the live conference call, please dial the following number five to ten minutes prior to the scheduled conference call time: (888) 346-8982. International callers should dial (412) 902-4272. If you are unable to participate in the conference call at this time, a replay will be available starting an hour after the conference call through 10:00 a.m. ETAugust 22, 2017. To access the replay, dial (877) 344-7529. International callers dial (412) 317-0088, and enter conference number: 10111489.

Discontinued Operations

On December 30, 2016, the Company sold 100% of the stock of Fulland Wind to an unrelated party and discontinued the Company's forged rolled rings and related components business. Additionally, the Company's management decided to discontinue its petroleum and chemical equipment segment due to significant declines in revenues and the loss of its major customer. As such, the assets and liabilities of these two segments were classified on the unaudited condensed consolidated balance sheets as assets and liabilities of discontinued operations and the operating results were classified as discontinued operations in the unaudited condensed consolidated statements of operations for all periods presented.

About Cleantech Solutions International

Cleantech Solutions, through its affiliated companies, designs, manufactures and distributes a line of proprietary high and low temperature dyeing and finishing machinery to the textile industry. The Company's latest business initiatives are focused on targeting the technology and global sharing economy markets, by developing online platforms and rental business partnerships that will drive the global development of sharing through economical rental business models.

Safe Harbor Statement

This release contains certain "forward-looking statements" relating to the business of the Company and its subsidiary and affiliated companies. These forward looking statements are often identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "believes," "expects" or similar expressions. Such forward looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to be materially different from those described herein and in the conference call referred to in this press release as anticipated, believed, estimated or expected. The Company's actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of a variety of factors, including those discussed in the Company's periodic reports that are filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission and available on its website, including factors described in "Risk Factors" and "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" in our Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2016 and in our Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2017. All forward-looking statements attributable to the Company or to persons acting on its behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by these factors other than as required under the securities laws. The Company does not assume a duty to update these forward-looking statements.

Mr. Parkson Yip, Chief Operating Officer, will host the conference call. The Company will release its financial results for the quarter ended June 30, 2017, prior to the call.

To participate in the live conference call, please dial the following number five to ten minutes prior to the scheduled conference call time: (888) 346-8982. International callers should dial (412) 902-4272.

If you are unable to participate in the conference call at this time, a replay will be available starting an hour after the conference call through 10:00 a.m. ETAugust 22, 2017. To access the replay, dial (877) 344-7529. International callers dial (412) 317-0088, and enter conference number: 10111489.

About Cleantech Solutions International

Cleantech Solutions, through its affiliated companies, designs, manufactures and distributes a line of proprietary high and low temperature dyeing and finishing machinery to the textile industry. targeting the technology and global sharing economy markets, by developing online platforms and rental business partnerships that will drive the global development of sharing through economical rental business models.

Safe Harbor Statement

This release contains certain "forward-looking statements" relating to the business of the Company and its subsidiary and affiliated companies. These forward looking statements are often identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as "believes," "expects" or similar expressions. Such forward looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to be materially different from those described herein and in the conference call referred to in this press release as anticipated, believed, estimated or expected. The Company's actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of a variety of factors, including those discussed in the Company's periodic reports that are filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission and available on its website, including factors described in "Risk Factors" and "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" in our Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2016 and in our Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2017. All forward-looking statements attributable to the Company or to persons acting on its behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by these factors other than as required under the securities laws. The Company does not assume a duty to update these forward-looking statements.

DALLAS, Aug. 14, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Sekisui Specialty Chemicals announced today that it will increase the price of Selvol® Polyvinyl Alcohol, Selvol Ultiloc®, Selvol Ultalux® and Selvol Premiol® up to $110/mT as shown in the chart below. This increase will take effect September 1st, 2017, or as contracts and agreements allow.

Region

Price Increase

US

Up to $110/mT

EMEA

Up to €100/mT

LA/MX

Up to $110/mT

Asia

Up to $110/mT

Customers should contact their local Sekisui sales representative for more details.

Sekisui Specialty Chemicals' primary product is Selvol, a line of high performance polyvinyl alcohol polymers and copolymers used in paper, adhesive, packaging, construction, personal care, and many other specialty formulations. Sekisui Specialty Chemicals is a subsidiary of the Sekisui Chemical Group, a multibillion dollar, global company that delivers a wide range of products and services to enrich people's lives. The company is comprised of core businesses and technologies in housing, social infrastructure, and chemical solutions. For more information, visit www.sekisui-sc.com/

NORWALK, Connecticut, Aug. 10, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Charkit Chemical Company LLC ("Charkit" or the "Company") announced today that LeBaronBrown Industries LLC ("LeBaronBrown") has made an investment as a new, long-term majority shareholder in Charkit. Charkit's management team, led by its President and Founder Charlie Hinnant, will continue to manage the business.

Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. As part of the agreement, the Company has changed its legal status from Charkit Chemical Corporation to Charkit Chemical Company LLC.

Founded in 1982, Charkit is currently celebrating its 35th year of operations and has undertaken this transaction to position the Company for ongoing growth, including entry into new markets, forging agreements with distribution partners, and pursuing selective acquisitions of other specialty chemical distributors. LeBaronBrown is a private investment firm with a multi-decade orientation and will dedicate its capital and resources to supporting the growth of Charkit over the long term.

"We're excited about the vision for Charkit's future and thrilled to be partners with LeBaronBrown," said Mr. Hinnant. "The investment in our company recognizes the hard work our management team has put into successfully building Charkit over the last 35 years and also recognizes the tremendous opportunities for growth that lie ahead for us."

Simon Brown and Matthew LeBaron, founders of LeBaronBrown, added "Charlie and the team at Charkit have built a superb company over time. We are delighted at the opportunity to partner with Charkit and provide resources to support the ongoing growth of the Company. Building on the Company's operating excellence, we will be actively seeking complementary acquisitions in the specialty chemical distribution industry."

For more information about Charkit Chemical Company, please contact Shawn McManus at 203.299.3227 or sales@charkit.com. For more information about LeBaronBrown, please contact Simon Brown or Matt LeBaron at 212.841.8500. To arrange a press interview, please contact Maria Garvey at 914.747.1400 or maria@delfino.com.

Founded in 1982 by its President, Charles Hinnant, Charkit Chemical Company LLC offers a wide range of products to the personal care, food, flavor and fragrance, water treatment, imaging, metal treatment, nutritional and pharmaceutical industries as well as to producers of fine and specialty chemicals. In addition to high demand products, Charkit provides custom sourcing, manufacturing, technical assistance and product development services through its partners. In 2017, Charkit celebrates its 35th year of continuing growth.

LeBaronBrown Industries LLC is a private investment firm with a multi-decade investment horizon. LeBaronBrown's objective is to support the creation of long term equity value and compounding of performance. LeBaronBrown's capital and resources will be dedicated to supporting the growth of Charkit over the long term, including by actively seeking complementary acquisitions.

HARBIN, China, Aug. 9, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- China XD Plastics Company Limited (NASDAQ: CXDC) ("China XD Plastics" or the "Company"), one of China's leading specialty chemical companies engaged in the development, manufacture and sale of polymer composite materials primarily for automotive applications, today announced its financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2017.

Second Quarter 2017 Financial Highlights

Revenue was $313.6 million, an increase of 13.2% YoY

Gross profit was $63.1 million, an increase of 4.6% YoY

Gross margin of 20.1%, a decrease of 17 basis points YoY

Net income was $28.1 million, a decrease of 15.6% YoY

EBITDA was $54.7 million, a decrease of 3.0% YoY

Total volume shipped was 104,617 metric tons, up 17.0% YoY

"We were able to generate significant top line growth in the second quarter of 2017 as compared to the same period last year as the generally positive macroeconomic conditions in our sector continued from last year," said Jie Han, Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer. "As reported by The China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, for the first six months of 2017, auto production increased 4.6% relative to the same period last year, and we believe that our cutting edge technologies, expanded production capabilities, new geographical positioning and major new projects will be able to capitalize on this trend."

Mr. Han continued, "Our strategic initiative to expand our operations into new growth geographies continued to see significant revenue contributions from the South China and the Central China regions in the second quarter, largely attributable due to the continued ramp of our new, state-of-the-art Sichuan manufacturing facility. Our Sichuan facility now has 50 production lines with 216,000 metric tons of annual production capacity."

"We are very pleased with the recent official signing of investment agreements with the Management Committee of Harbin Economic - Technological Development Zone with respect to the industrial project for 300,000 metric tons of biological composite materials, the industrial project for upgrading existing equipment for 100,000 metric tons of engineering plastics and the industrial project for a 3D printing intelligent manufacture demonstration factory and a 3D printing display and experience cloud factory. This follows the signing of a definitive agreement with the People's Government of Shunqing District, Nanchong City of Sichuan Province for the production of 300,000 metric tons of bio-composite materials and additive manufacturing and 20,000 metric tons of functional masterbatch."

"Our new facility in Dubai also extends our specialized high-tech products into an important overseas market. We plan to complete the installation of 45 production lines with 12,000 metric tons of annual production capacity by the first quarter of 2018, and to complete the installation of an additional 50 production lines with 13,000 metric tons of annual production capacity by the second quarter of 2018. This will bring the total annual production capacity in our Dubai facility to 25,000 metric tons. The Dubai facility will target high-end products for overseas markets and will ultimately enable more active inroads into the markets of Europe, the Middle East, Russia and other overseas markets."

"We believe our substantial production increase and geographical expansion via our Sichuan facility solidifies our core automobile sector business. Further, our new investment agreements to undertake major expansion projects will lead to a wider range of product capabilities and further diversified customer base. In our view, this represents a further evolution of the company into a multifaceted leading specialty chemical company that augments our existing capabilities and enables us to engage numerous new verticals. We believe that these strategic initiatives form a platform for sustainable growth for the next several years and well positions us for opportunities presented by China's new economy. We are excited by this period of dynamic growth and this next evolution of the Company." Mr. Han concluded.

Second Quarter 2017 Results

Revenues were $313.6 million for the second quarter of 2017, compared to $277.1 million for the same period of 2016, representing an increase of $36.5 million, or 13.2%. The year-over-year increase was primarily due to 17.0% increase in sales volume and 1.8% increase in the average RMB selling price of our products.

The increase in revenues in the second quarter of 2017 was driven by growth in demand for our products in the domestic China market, our efforts to expand our customer base attributable to our new plant in Sichuan and our efforts to increase overseas sales. We recorded sales increases of 166.2% in Central China, 76.7% in Southwest China, 49.1% in South China, 22.1% in North China, 7.7% in East China and 5.1% in Northeast China as compared to the same period in 2016. Overseas sales resumed in the second quarter of 2017 and were $33.0 million in the period, compared to $35.7 million in the same period of 2016, representing a decrease of $2.7 million, or 7.6%. The overseas customer has an outstanding balance of $65.1 million, of which a balance of $31.9 million was overdue as of June 30, 2017. The overseas customer has made payments of $42.5 million in the first half year of 2017, and we expect to collect the outstanding balance in the third quarter of 2017.

Premium products (PA66, PA6, Plastic Alloy, PLA, POM and PPO) in total accounted for 81.4% of revenues in the second quarter of 2017, compared to 80.8% for the same period of 2016. The Company continued to shift its production mix from traditional polymer materials to higher-end products due to (i) better end consumer recognition of higher-end cars made by automotive manufacturers from Chinese and Germany joint ventures, and U.S. and Japanese joint ventures, (ii) the stronger demand for higher-end products as a result of the Chinese government's promotion for clean energy vehicles, and (iii) the greater growth potential of advanced modified plastics in luxury models in China, where manufacturers tend to use more and higher-end modified plastics in quantity per vehicle in China.

Gross profit was $63.1 million for the second quarter of 2017, compared to $60.3 million for the same period of 2016, representing an increase of $2.8 million, or 4.6%. Gross margin was 20.1% for the second quarter of 2017, compared to 21.8% for the same period of 2016, primarily due the lower gross margin of higher-end products sold in the domestic market in the current period as compared to the same period in 2016.

General and administrative (G&A) expenses were $8.8 million for the second quarter of 2017, compared to $6.6 million for the same period of 2016, representing an increase of $2.2 million, or 33.3%. This increase was primarily due to (i) the increases in salary and welfare expenses resulted from the increase in the number of management and general staff from supporting departments and in the average salary and bonus, (ii) the increase of professional fee (iii) the increase of depreciation and amortization, (iv) the increase of taxation, and (v) the increase of rental fee.

Research and development (R&D) expenses were $9.5 million for the second quarter of 2017, compared to $5.9 million for the same period of 2016, representing an increase of $3.6 million, or 61.0%. This increase was primarily due to (i) elevated R&D activities to meet the higher quality requirements of potential customers from Europe, (ii) increased R&D efforts directed towards applications in new electrical equipment, alternative energy applications, power devices, aviation equipment and ocean engineering, in addition to other new products primarily for advanced industrialized applications in the automobile sector and in new verticals such as ships, airplanes, high-speed rail, 3D printing materials, biodegradable plastics and medical devices, and (iii) an increase in depreciation expenses after R&D equipment was put into use at Sichuan Xinda Enterprise Group Company Limited ("Sichuan Xinda"). As of June 30, 2017, the number of ongoing research and development projects was 286.

Operating income was $44.0 million for the second quarter of 2017, compared to $47.4 million for the same period of 2016, representing a decrease of $3.4 million, or 7.2%. This decrease was primarily due to higher G&A expenses and higher R&D expenses.

Net interest expense was $11.0 million for the second quarter of 2017, compared to net interest expense of $9.0 million for the same period of 2016, representing an increase of $2.0 million, or 22.2%. This increase was primarily due to (i) the increase of interest expense due to the increase of the average short-term and long-term loan balance in the amount of $849.0 million for the three-month period ended June 30, 2017 compared to $496.6 million for the same period in 2016, which was partially offset by the decrease of the weighted loan interest rate of 4.9% for the three-month period ended June 30, 2017 as compared to 5.2% for the same period of 2016, (ii) a decrease of interest income resulting from the decrease of the average interest rate to 1.5% for the three-month period ended June 30, 2017 compared to 2.4% of the same period in 2016, and the decrease of the average deposit balance in the amount of $266.9 million for the three-month period ended June 30, 2017 compared to $409.6 million for the same period of 2016.

Income tax expense was $4.1 million for the second quarter of 2017, representing an effective income tax rate of 12.8%, compared to income tax expense of $5.3 million in the same period of 2016, representing an effective income tax rate of 13.6%. The decrease of effective income tax rate was primarily due to a greater portion of the profit generated by Sichuan Xinda which enjoys preferential tax rate and the increase of the super deduction of R&D expense. The effective income tax rate for the three-month ended June 30, 2017 differs from the PRC statutory income tax rate of 25% primarily due to the effect of the tax rate difference on various subsidiaries not subject to the PRC statutory income tax rate .

Net income was $28.1 million for the second quarter of 2017, compared to $33.3 million for the same period of 2016, representing a decrease of $5.2 million, or 15.6%. Basic and diluted earnings per share in the current quarter were $0.43, compared to $0.51 per basic and diluted share for the same period of 2016. The average number of shares used in the computation of basic and diluted earnings per share current quarter was 49.5 million, compared to 49.4 million shares for basic and diluted earnings per share in the prior year period.

Earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) was $54.7 million for the second quarter of 2017, compared to $56.4 million for the same period of 2016, representing a decrease of $1.7 million, or 3.0%. For a detailed reconciliation of EBITDA, a non-GAAP measure, to its nearest GAAP equivalent, please see the financial tables at the end of this release.

Financial Condition

As of June 30, 2017, the Company had $559.6 million in cash and cash equivalents, restricted cash and time deposits, an increase of $103.2 million or 22.6% as compared to $456.4 million as of December 31, 2016. As of the current period, working capital was $185.7 million (current assets minus current liabilities) and the current ratio (current assets divided by current liabilities) was 1.2, equivalent to the current ratio of 1.2 as of December 31, 2016. Stockholders' equity as of June 30, 2017 was $690.2 million, an increase of $55.9 million or 8.8% as compared to $634.3 million as of December 31, 2016.

Inventories increased by $82.3 million or 29.3% to $363.2 million as of the second quarter of 2017 as compared to fiscal year end 2016 as a result of more purchases of raw materials and the Company's strategy to stock up on finished goods for upcoming orders. The aggregate short-term and long-term bank loans increased by $143.5 million or 20.7% due to the utilization of existing lines of credit to support the expansion of the Sichuan and Dubai facilities. We define the manageable debt level as the sum of aggregate short-term and long-term loans over total assets. We expect that we will be able to meet our needs to fund operations, capital expenditures and other commitments in the next 12 months primarily with our cash and cash equivalents, operating cash flows and bank borrowings.

Recent Events

On July 21, 2017, the Company issued a press release announcing the official signing of investment agreements between its subsidiary, Heilongjiang Xinda Enterprise Group Company Limited, and the Management Committee of Harbin Economic - Technological Development Zone with respect to the industrial project for 300,000 metric tons of biological composite materials, the industrial project for upgrading existing equipment for 100,000 metric tons of engineering plastics and the industrial project for a 3D printing intelligent manufacture demonstration factory and a 3D printing display and experience cloud factory. These projects will help the Company to expand its product mix into bio-based composites, 3D printing materials and functional masterbatch materials while maintaining our traditional petroleum-based materials, paving the path to non-auto applications and further diversifying the company's business as a key element of the Company's strategic plan. The total capital expenditures for the Company will be RMB 4,015 million (equivalent to be $592.7 million), among which the investment in fixed assets shall be no less than RMB3,295 million (equivalent to $486.4 million). Both the industrial project for 300,000 metric tons of biological composite materials and the industrial project for a 3D printing intelligent manufacturing demonstration factory and a 3D printing display and experience cloud factory are expected to be completed by the end of July 2019. The industrial project for upgrading existing equipment for 100,000 metric tons of engineering plastics is expected to be completed by the end of June 2018.

On June 5, 2017, the Company announced that the special committee of its Board of Directors, which is composed entirely of independent directors (the "Special Committee"), has retained Duff & Phelps, LLC and Duff & Phelps Securities, LLC as the Special Committee's independent financial advisor, Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP as its U.S. legal counsel and Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, LLP as its Nevada legal counsel in connection with its review and evaluation of the preliminary non-binding proposal letter dated February 16, 2017 from its Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Jie Han ("Mr. Han"), XD. Engineering Plastics Company Limited, a company incorporated in the British Virgin Islands and wholly owned by Mr. Han, and MSPEA Modified Plastics Holding Limited, an affiliate of Morgan Stanley Private Equity Asia III, Inc. (collectively, the "Buyer Consortium"), to acquire all of the outstanding shares of common stock of the Company not already beneficially owned by the Buyer Consortium in a "going-private" transaction for $5.21 per share of common stock in cash. The proposal letter states that the Buyer Consortium will not move forward with the proposed Transaction unless it is approved by such the Special Committee, and the proposed Transaction will be subject to a non-waivable condition requiring approval by majority shareholder vote of shareholders other than the Buyer Consortium members. The Buyer Consortium currently beneficially owns approximately 74% of the issued and outstanding shares of common stock of the Company on a fully diluted and as-converted basis.

The Special Committee cautions the Company's shareholders and others considering trading in its securities that the Special Committee has not made any decisions with respect to the Company's response to the proposal. There can be no assurance that any definitive offer will be made by the Buyer Consortium or any other person, that any definitive agreement will be executed relating to the proposed Transaction, or that this or any other transaction will be approved or consummated.

Financial Guidance and Business Outlook

The Company reiterates its financial guidance for fiscal 2017 with revenue to range between $1.2 billion and $1.3 billion, and net income to range between $85.0 million to $100.0 million. This is based on the anticipation of a continued recovery throughout the Chinese automotive supply chain and a stabilization of crude oil pricing and its impact on polymer composite materials in 2017. This forecast also assumes additional contributions from the Sichuan facility and that overseas sales will be resumed in the second half of 2017. It also assumes the average exchange rate of the US dollar to RMB at 6.8 and that the Company will incur interest expenses for loan term loans and short term loans. This financial guidance reflects the Company's preliminary view of its business outlook for the fiscal year of 2017 and is subject to revision based on changing market conditions at any time.

A recording of the conference call will be available through August 17, 2017, by calling +1-888-203-1112 (for callers in the U.S.) and entering pass code 2561379.

A live webcast and replay of the conference call will be available on the investor relations page of the Company's website at http://www.chinaxd.net.

About China XD Plastics Company Limited

China XD Plastics Company Limited, through its wholly-owned subsidiaries, develops, manufactures and sells polymer composites materials, primarily for automotive applications. The Company's products are used in the exterior and interior trim and in the functional components of 29 automobile brands manufactured in China, including without limitation, AUDI, Mercedes Benz, BMW, Toyota, Buick, Chevrolet, Mazda, Volvo, Ford, Citroen, Jinbei and VW Passat, Golf, Jetta, etc. The Company's wholly-owned research center is dedicated to the research and development of polymer composites materials and benefits from its cooperation with well-known scientists from prestigious universities in China. As of June 30, 2017, 420 of the Company's products have been certified for use by one or more of the automobile manufacturers in China. For more information, please visit the Company's English website at http://www.chinaxd.net, and the Chinese website at http://www.xdholding.com.

Safe Harbor Statement

This announcement contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements other than statements of historical fact in this announcement are forward-looking statements, including but not limited to, the Company's growth potential in international markets; the effectiveness and profitability of the Company's product diversification strategy; the impact of the Company's product mix shift to more advanced products and related pricing policies; the effectiveness, profitability, and the marketability of its the ongoing mix shift to more advanced products; the prospects of the Company's Dubai facility, and the associated expansion into Middle East, Europe and other parts of Asia; the prospects of the Company's Sichuan facility, and its penetration into Southwest China; the prospects of the Company's Harbin facility, and its penetration into Northeast China; the Company's projections of its revenues for performance in fiscal 2017. These forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as "will," "expect," "project," "anticipate," "forecast," "plan," "believe," "estimate" and similar statements. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties and are based on current expectations, assumptions, estimates and projections about the Company and the industry. A number of important factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement. Potential risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the global economic uncertainty could further impair the automotive industry and limit demand for our products; fluctuations in automotive sales and production could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and liquidity; our financial performance may be affected by the prospect of our Dubai facility and the associated expansion into Middle East, Europe and other parts of Asia; the withdrawal of preferential government policies and the tightening control over the Chinese automotive industry and automobile purchase restrictions imposed in certain major cities may limit market demand for our products; the slowing of Chinese automotive industry's growth; the concentration of our distributors, customers and suppliers; and other risks detailed in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission and available on its website at http://www.sec.gov. The Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent occurring events or circumstances, or to changes in its expectations, except as may be required by law. Although the Company believes that the expectations expressed in these forward looking statements are reasonable, it cannot assure you that its expectations will turn out to be correct, and investors are cautioned that actual results may differ materially from the anticipated results.

Accrual for purchase of equipment and construction included in accrued expenses and other current liabilities

5,379,730

88,224,035

See the accompanying notes to the unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements in the Company's second quarter 2017 10-Q as filed with the SEC

CHINA XD PLASTICS COMPANY LIMITED

Reconciliation of Net Income to EBITDA

Three Months Ended

June 30,

2017

2016

Net Income

$ 28,063,992

$ 33,355,774

Interest expense

11,951,851

10,628,222

Income tax expense

4,119,756

5,253,628

Depreciation and amortization expense

10,585,602

7,178,232

EBITDA

$ 54,721,201

$ 56,415,856

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AUTFINCHMTRNCCAERNERPWed, 9 Aug 2017 20:30:00 +0800http://en.prnasia.com/story/184849-0.shtml- Investment reflects increased demand in focus industries Automotive, Construction, Electronics, Household, Healthcare and supports future growth of our customers in India]]>
- Compounding capacity to increase by an additional 34,000 tons per annum]]>
- Underlines the company's Triple Shift growth strategy]]>
SINGAPORE, Aug. 9, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- INEOS Styrolution, the global leader in styrenics, announces today plans to increase its compounding capacity for engineering plastics by an additional 34,000 metric tonnes per annum at its Moxi plant located in Gujarat, India. Expected for completion in 2019, this expansion will grow INEOS Styrolution's compounding capacity to 100,000 metric tonnes per annum at the site. This expansion will involve a capital expenditure of US$20 million (INR 1300 Mio), which also includes the upgrading of site infrastructure. Additionally the company has sanctioned a detailed engineering study to evaluate doubling the overall production capacity for ABS in India over the next years.

The planned capacity expansion intends to meet the growing demand for styrenic polymers across key growth industries in India, enabling the company to support our customers' growth plans and continuing to provide the same high quality products.

The Moxi plant currently manufactures and supplies acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) and acrylonitrile styrene acrylate (ASA) for the Indian market. As part of the expansion, two new extruders will be installed at Moxi, in addition to various infrastructure upgrades to support the additional site capacity.

Sanjiv Vasudeva, Managing Director, INEOS Styrolution India Limited, says:"This expansion follows our earlier R&D facility upgrading investment in Moxi. It will enable us to better support the success of our customers in India by providing them the best solutions and a stable local supply, therefore paving the way for further growth together."

These planned investments underline the company's commitment to its Triple Shift growth strategy with emphasis on focus industries, ABS and Specialties and on growth markets. "India is one of the key strategic markets in Asia where INEOS Styrolution plans to accelerate growth and expand our manufacturing footprint over the next years. The intended doubling of our production capacity in India is being substantiated with a major engineering study and will ultimately give us additional resources to meet the demands of a fast growing Indian market, further enhancing our position as the market leader for ABS and SAN (styrene acrylonitrile) in India," comments Steve Harrington, President Global Styrene Monomer and Asia-Pacific.

"This investment follows previous growth investments including the acquisition of the global K-Resin® business and, most recently, the planned ABS and ASA capacity increase in the Americas," says Kevin McQuade, CEO INEOS Styrolution. "Our investments very much reflect our focus on the overall global market potential for styrenics as well as supporting higher growth regional markets."

About INEOS Styrolution

INEOS Styrolution is the leading, global styrenics supplier with a focus on styrene monomer, polystyrene, ABS Standard and styrenic specialties. With world-class production facilities and more than 85 years of experience, INEOS Styrolution helps its customers succeed by offering the best possible solution, designed to give them a competitive edge in their markets. The company provides styrenic applications for many everyday products across a broad range of industries, including Automotive, Electronics, Household, Construction, Healthcare, Toys/ Sports/ Leisure and Packaging. In 2016, sales were at 4.5 billion euros. INEOS Styrolution employs approximately 3,200 people and operates 16 production sites in nine countries.

ALBUQUERQUE, New Mexico, Aug. 8, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Rinchem recently announced the expansion of its chemical distribution center in Pyeongtaek, South Korea.

The new site provides four additional warehouses capable of storing a wide variety of materials including: general commodities (non-DG), flammable, toxic, corrosive, oxidizer and miscellaneous dangerous goods with strict temperature requirements ranging from -30 to 30 C. The new additions add 12,350 pallet positions to the Korea campus.

"This recent investment in South Korea marks Rinchem's largest investment in the Asian Pacific market to date," said Chris Wright, Rinchem's Vice President of Sales & Marketing. "The Pyeongtaek distribution center is state-of-the-art in every way and is positioned as the largest semiconductor grade chemical storage facility in Korea."

Each new warehouse will be optimized for efficiency and safety consistent with Rinchem's global standards. The new warehouses will boast a very narrow aisle (VNA) racking system with wire-guided forklift steering controls. Additionally, the Korea campus now operates the newest version of Rinchem's proprietary Chem-Star® customer interface. The system update showcases a streamlined and easy-to-navigate customer interface granting access to inventory data in real-time.

Rinchem will host a grand opening event to celebrate the recent completion of this expansion project on the new Korea campus on 9 August 2017 at 10:00 AM. Rinchem executives and staff will be on site to participate in a ribbon cutting ceremony, remarks on the new expansion and site tours.

If you are interested in attending the event please contact sales@rinchem.com for further details and information.

For more information about the new logistics center and its capabilities please contact us directly.

About Rinchem Company, Inc.

Rinchem provides a wide range of logistics services to support the semiconductor, chemical, gas, life sciences and paint and coatings industries, including dedicated and multi-client warehousing, on-site services, over-the-road and local transportation, freight forwarding, empty container return management and supply chain consulting. With locations in North America and in parts of Asia, Europe, and the Middle East, Rinchem utilizes its network of customized, temperature-controlled warehouses and transportation assets to provide safe and efficient chemical management solutions. One partner managing a global supply chain, affords the ability to reduce cost and risk.

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CHMCPRGASSEMUTICXPTue, 8 Aug 2017 08:00:00 +0800http://en.prnasia.com/story/184624-0.shtmlHONG KONG, Aug. 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Cleantech Solutions International, Inc. ("Cleantech Solutions" or "the Company") (NASDAQ: CLNT) today announced that its wholly-owned subsidiary, EC Power (Global), has signed an agreement with ECoin Global Limited ("ECoin") for the purchase of ECoin redemption codes with an aggregate value of $50 million for total consideration of $20 million. The Company plans to resell the redemption codes in the form of ECrent gift cards at global locals through reseller channels, such as convenience stores. The Company's subsidiary has entered into agreement with InComm, a global pre-payment network and solution provider and will start selling the redemption codes with face values of HK$100, HK$300 and HK$500 at major convenience store networks in Hong Kong and Macau beginning in August 2017. Other international locations will follow.

Pursuant to the agreement, in exchange for redemption codes with an aggregate value of $50 million, the Company will pay ECoin total consideration of $20 million in four annual installments in an amount equal to 50% of the net sale proceeds of the redemption codes sold during each calendar year. The value of any unsold redemption codes at the expiration of the agreement will be paid to ECoin using shares of the Company's stock and not more than 19% of issued and outstanding ordinary shares of the Company.

"ECoin is now being fully utilized by ECrent, the world's largest online sharing platform, offering a safe and convenient prepaid payment option for consumers who want to participate in the worldwide sharing economy," said Parkson Yip, COO of Cleantech Solutions. "We are excited to partner with InComm to begin offering ECrent gift cards in major convenience stores in Hong Kong and Macau and plan to utilize ECoin in the other regions, as well as other sharing businesses and platforms we are currently developing, including our global sharing bike network."

About Cleantech Solutions International

Cleantech Solutions, through its affiliated companies, designs, manufactures and distributes a line of proprietary high and low temperature dyeing and finishing machinery to the textile industry. The Company's latest business initiatives are focused on targeting the technology and sharing economy markets in China.

Safe Harbor Statement

This release contains certain "forward-looking statements" relating to the business of the Company and its subsidiary and affiliated companies and certain potential transactions that they may enter into. These forward looking statements are often identified by the use of forward looking terminology such as "believes," "expects" or similar expressions. Such forward looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to be materially different from those described herein as anticipated, believed, estimated or expected. The Company's actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of a variety of factors, including those discussed in the Company's periodic reports that are filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission and available on its website, including factors described in "Risk Factors" and "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" in our Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2016 and in our Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2017. All forward-looking statements attributable to the Company or to persons acting on its behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by these factors other than as required under the securities laws. The Company does not assume a duty to update these forward-looking statements.

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ALTCHMENVGRETEXCONMon, 7 Aug 2017 19:30:00 +0800http://en.prnasia.com/story/184622-0.shtmlWidespread interest from IOCs and global investors in world class concession opportunity]]>
Concession will be split into two or more new concessions to create greater value and increase partnership opportunities]]>
Announcement actions ADNOC's new partnership approach that targets market access, long term capital and technological expertise to deliver smart growth]]>

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates, Aug. 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) announced, today, it is in advanced discussions with more than a dozen potential partners who have expressed a significant interest in the offshore concession, currently operated by the Abu Dhabi Marine Operating Company (ADMA-OPCO) that expires next March. The potential partners are a mix of existing concession holders in ADNOC's offshore fields and new participants.

The announcement comes shortly after ADNOC unveiled the expansion of its strategic partnership model, as well as the active management of its portfolio of assets. ADNOC's new approach, which builds on its flexible and enhanced operating model as well as its 2030 growth strategy, will enable the company to unlock and maximize value from across the Group. The new approach will deliver improved revenue streams and ensure smart growth, while also enhancing performance and securing greater access for ADNOC's products in key growth markets.

The existing ADMA-OPCO concession will be split into two, or more, concessions with new terms to unlock greater value and increase partnership opportunities. The concession will be comprised of a mix of the Lower Zakum field, Umm Shaif, Nasr, Umm Lulu and Satah Al Razboot (SARB) fields. ADNOC, on behalf of the Abu Dhabi government, will retain a 60% shareholding in the new concession areas.

H.E. Dr Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, UAE Minister of State and Group CEO of ADNOC said: "We have received great interest in the concessions from both existing and potential new partners. Discussions are progressing well and companies have been drawn by our stable investment environment and ADNOC's reliability as a partner, as well as the attractive and sustainable returns that will be generated.

"As part of ADNOC's new partnership approach, we look forward to working with partners who will bring new and innovative thinking to the table. Partners who can demonstrate tangible value-add to our operations through technology, expertise, long term capital and market access, as well as a shared commitment to drive operational performance and efficiency to deliver smart growth and strong financial returns. Our ideal partners should also be willing to invest across different parts of our value chain," H.E. Dr Al Jaber added.

Interest in the new concession areas is being driven by ADNOC's track-record of successful long-term relationships with its partners; the stable investment climate in the UAE; the UAE's leading low production costs and its globally recognized record on health safety and protection of the environment.

Following ADNOC's 2016 announcement to consolidate the offshore operations of ADMA-OPCO and the Zakum Development Company (ZADCO), the new ADMA concessions and the existing Upper Zakum concession, operated by ZADCO, will be operated by the new integrated offshore company, capitalizing on operational synergies and enhanced performance. The consolidation of the two companies is due to be completed before the end of the year.

As ADNOC looks to boost oil production capacity to 3.5m bpd in 2018, offshore development is a strategic focus of the company. The existing concession area operated by ADMA-OPCO, which produces around 700,000 barrels a day of oil, is planned to have a production capacity of about 1.0 million barrels per day by 2021.

ADNOC has adopted a progressive approach to delivering its future growth through its 2030 strategy, which aims to ensure a more profitable upstream business, a more valuable downstream business, and an economic and sustainable supply of gas. In upstream, ADNOC is adapting to the evolving market environment by maximizing operational efficiencies, reducing costs and increasing crude oil production capacity to 3.5m bpd in 2018. In its gas business, ADNOC will develop a variety of natural gas sources, including tapping into gas caps and undeveloped deep and sour gas reserves. While in downstream, ADNOC aims to stretch the margin of each refined barrel of oil and expand petrochemical production from 4.5 to 11.4 mtpa by 2025. It will develop new, high-value products to meet growing demand and increase refining capacity to create new revenue streams.

Existing shareholders in ADMA-OPCO are BP (14.67%), Total (13.33%) and JODCO (12%). The international shareholders in ZADCO are ExxonMobil (28%) and JODCO (12%). The Abu Dhabi Government, through ADNOC, has a 60% interest in both operating companies.

About ADNOC

ADNOC is a major diversified group of energy and petrochemical companies, that produces around 3 million barrels of oil and 9.8 billion cubic feet of raw gas a day. Its integrated upstream, midstream and downstream activities are carried out by 16 specialist subsidiary and joint venture companies. To find out more visit www.adnoc.ae

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CHMGASOILUTIJVNMon, 7 Aug 2017 19:09:00 +0800http://en.prnasia.com/story/184586-0.shtmlSHANGHAI, Aug. 7, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The amount of land dedicated to natural green fields or playgrounds has been decreasing due to urbanization. Faced with the challenge of encouraging people to stay active, urban planners and city administrators have sought alternatives like gyms or indoor playgrounds.

In fact, designers and celebrities have driven the "athleisure" trend in fashion while skinny models with sunken cheeks have been replaced with healthy-looking lean and tanned models on the hottest runways. Driven by social media usage and fitness celebrities engaging their audience through social media channels, the uptick in people actively engaging in sports activities has also been inspired by the quadrennial Olympic Games and World Cup.

The global revenue from the professional sports industry grew from USD 107.52b in 2006 to USD 145.34b in 20151, marking a rise in worldwide interest in games and sports, not just as viewers but as participants too. With demand rising and available land dwindling, we need alternative solutions for sporting facilities that are both safe and convenient.

Sports in modern cities - when the options are shrinking

As modern homes have gone smaller and more compact, the 'lawn' has become a symbol of luxury and lifestyle goals. An integral part of the modern city dwellers' dream home, lawns facilitate both leisure and sport activities, hence the surface must be high endurance, safe and preferably low maintenance to function as landscaping as well as a surface on which sports are played.

The turfs need to allow players to excel, offer excellent protection from motion-related injuries and demonstrate great durability and resilience. The versatility to be used both indoors and outdoors in residential as well as public spaces is also important.

Artificial turfs - an alternative to natural fields

Artificial turf started to gain popularity in the 1960s, especially in the United States. People soon got used to playing or watching football or baseball matches on synthetic turfs. Today, artificial turfs have evolved significantly to become the playing surface of choice for both contact sports like football and non-contact sports like tennis, gradually replacing the original natural grass-laden fields.

Unlike natural turfs, the synthetic ones are made of inanimate chemical products that needs no fertilizer, water and other resources to be maintained, hence it can be used after a quick turnaround. In addition to being low-maintenance, they merely need 'cleaning' - not the regular mowing or irrigation that natural fields need. Artificial turf is currently in its sixth generation, and by combining superior applicability with safety, it outperforms its natural equivalents on many levels.

Advanced artificial turfs - unlocking the potential

Synthetic turfs generally consists of three layers of materials beneath - the shockpad which is a buffer layer usually made from rubber or foamed plastic, the backing and the infill sitting directly below the grass-like yarns.

Dow offers a complete portfolio of advanced solutions

Dow Chemical, well-known for its industry know-how and strong technological expertise, has a rich experience of applications in the field of artificial turfs. In the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, the hockey matches played at the Deodoro Olympic Park used Dow's polyethylene (PE) and polyurethane (PU) technologies. Sporting facilities and events world over choose Dow not only because it a leading name in the global market for best-in-class sixth generation artificial turfs but also because it is advanced and reliable.

Dow provides a wide range of tailor-made artificial turf solutions at every level of artificial turfs:

High flexibility and abrasion resistance. Dow's ATTANE™ Ultra Low Density Polyethylene Resins can significantly raise the flexibility of artificial grass yarns - making the tactile sensation of artificial turfs closer to natural grasses yet minimizing abrasion on athletes, while DOWLEX™ Polyethylene Resins and ELITE™ Enhanced Polyethylene Resins can greatly enhance the wear resistance of yarns, ensuring that the yarns do not crack over time.

Shock absorption. Turfs with good shock absorption can prevent serious injuries, such as sprain and contusions when the players trip or fall. Dow's INFUSE™ Olefin Block Copolymers adds excellent and long-lasting resilience to our turfs.

Durable and environmentally friendly. Dow's grass yarns generally have eight to ten years of long service life thanks to its outstanding wear resistance, which can reduce cost, chemicals and other raw materials, making it a more environmentally friendly option.

Safer. Made completely of food-grade PE materials with a melting point over 120 degrees Celsius, Dow's grass yarns have non-virulent insipidity even when exposed to the sun for a long time. With the woven structures, the yarns and substrates have great permeability and are not vulnerable to rough weather, including rain and snow.

Keep the ball rolling and the heart racing

It is a reality that weather conditions, scare resources and limited space have all constrained our opportunities to remain active in sports. Artificial turfs play a vital role in enabling us to remain active in games and sports in our lives.

Committed to its efforts to research and develop the best artificial turfs, Dow's ongoing pursuit of technological innovation leads to safe, healthy and eco-friendly solutions that not only improve the quality of lives, but also promote a dynamic lifestyle for its customers.

HARBIN, China, Aug. 4, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- China XD Plastics Company Limited (NASDAQ: CXDC) ("China XD Plastics" or the "Company"), one of China's leading specialty chemical producers engaged in the development, manufacture and sale of polymer composite materials primarily for automotive applications, today announced that it will release its earnings results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2017, on Wednesday, August 9th, 2017.

The second quarter 2017 earnings press release will be available on the Investor Relations page of the Company's website (http://www.chinaxd.net) that day at approximately 8:30 am (U.S. Eastern Time) / 8:30 pm (China Standard Time). China XD Plastics' senior management will host a conference call at 9:00 am (U.S. Eastern Time) / 9:00 pm (China Standard Time) to discuss the results. The call is expected to last one hour.

A recording of the conference call will be available through August 17th, 2017, by calling + 1 888-203-1112 (for callers in the U.S.) and entering passcode 2561379 .

A live webcast and replay of the conference call will be available on the Investor Relations page of the Company's website at http://www.chinaxd.net.

About China XD Plastics Company Limited

China XD Plastics Company Limited, through its wholly-owned subsidiaries, develops, manufactures and sells polymer composites materials, primarily for automotive applications. The Company's products are used in the exterior and interior trim and in the functional components of 29 automobile brands manufactured in China, including without limitation, AUDI, Mercedes Benz, BMW, Toyota, Buick, Chevrolet, Mazda, and VW Passat, Volvo, Ford, Golf, Jetta, Citroen, Jinbei, etc. The Company's wholly-owned research center is dedicated to the research and development of polymer composites materials and benefits from its cooperation with well-known scientists from prestigious universities in China. As of March 31, 2017, 410 of the Company's products have been certified for use by one or more of the automobile manufacturers in China. For more information, please visit the Company's English website at http://www.chinaxd.net, and the Chinese website at http://www.xdholding.com.

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AUTFINCHMTRNCCAFri, 4 Aug 2017 04:01:00 +0800http://en.prnasia.com/story/184459-0.shtmlInfrastructure boom and rising urbanization drive growth opportunities in the region, finds Frost & Sullivan's Visionary Science team]]>
LONDON, Aug. 3, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The infrastructure boom and rising urbanization in Asia-Pacific have made it the largest and fastest-growing regional market for anti-corrosion coatings, with 54.7 percent of the revenue shares. It is likely to touch 57.9 percent in 2023, driven by the rapid growth of end-user industries such as water and wastewater, manufacturing and commercial architecture. Most of the demand for anti-corrosion coatings in the region is expected from the developing economies of China, India and Southeast Asian countries like Indonesia and Malaysia, which are witnessing frenzied developmental activities.

"The surge in the purchasing power of the citizens of Asia-Pacific accelerated the growth of its building and construction as well as infrastructure industries, stoking demand for anti-corrosion coatings," said Frost & Sullivan Visionary Science Research Analyst Christeena Thomas. "Furthermore, Asia-Pacific's economic growth has attracted significant capital investments by large companies, which has aided the establishment of additional production and distribution facilities."

Global Anti-corrosion Coatings Market, Forecast to 2023 is part of Frost & Sullivan's Future of Chemicals & Materials in Infrastructure & Mobility Growth Partnership Subscription. The research covers the end industries of oil & gas, manufacturing, water & wastewater, commercial architecture, infrastructure, marine and power generation. It provides the unit shipment and revenue forecasts for each segment from 2013 to 2023, and at the sub-segment level, focuses on the major technologies, substrate types and chemistries used in the products. It also presents the competitive structure and market share data at the primary and secondary tiers.

Click here for complimentary access to more information on this analysis and to register for a Growth Strategy Dialogue, a free interactive briefing with Frost & Sullivan's thought leaders.

Meanwhile, there is a growing need for high-performance, anti-corrosion coatings in the water and wastewater segment, especially in the Middle East and Asia-Pacific. Epoxy is the dominant chemistry used in this industry, although acrylics and hybrid chemistries are gaining prominence due to the intensifying need for environmental sustainability as well as lower-priced and effective corrosion coatings that are easy to apply.

"The lucrative manufacturing end-user market also is offering substantial opportunities for coatings manufacturers that can provide direct-to-metal, hybrid and low-cost formulations based on alkyds, epoxies and latexes," noted Thomas. "The oil & gas sector is a particularly active segment, and coatings that can protect against harsh off-shore conditions and exposure to various chemicals will enjoy considerable success here."

The major trends in the three main regions of North America, Europe and Asia-Pacific include:

North America: The growth of anti-corrosion coatings in the infrastructure segment is expected to be slow due to underinvestment by the government. Nevertheless, upcoming investments in offshore projects in the oil & gas industry will buoy the market.

Europe: Manufacturing and commercial architecture are the major growth drivers for anti-corrosion coatings, propelled by demand from industry expansion projects in Eastern Europe.

Asia-Pacific and Rest of the World: Consumers are demanding coatings that are low priced and can be applied in lower volumes, as it will save them labor costs. However, the consumers in the Middle East are eager for high-performance coatings for the oil & gas and water & wastewater verticals, as well as for numerous infrastructure projects aimed at the upcoming FIFA World Cup 2020.

About Frost & Sullivan

Frost & Sullivan, the Growth Partnership Company, works in collaboration with clients to leverage visionary innovation that addresses the global challenges and related growth opportunities that will make or break today's market participants. For more than 50 years, we have been developing growth strategies for the global 1000, emerging businesses, the public sector and the investment community. Contact us: Start the discussion

CARLSBAD, Calif. and KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, July 31, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Verdezyne Inc., a synthetic biology company producing biobased chemicals, announced today that a groundbreaking ceremony was held on July 30th for its VerdePalm plant, Verdezyne's first commercial-scale renewable chemicals manufacturing facility, at the Bio-XCell premier biotechnology and ecosystem park in Nusajaya, Iskandar, in southern Malaysia. The new facility is designed to produce biobased long chain diacids via fermentation of Verdezyne's proprietary yeast, which has been engineered to use non-food biomass to produce high value chemicals. The first product produced at VerdePalm will be dodecanedioic acid (DDDA), a 12-carbon diacid that is a component of many consumer products currently made from petroleum. DDDA is a main building block of FerroShield™, Verdezyne's nitrate-free dibasic acid mixture used in a variety of corrosion inhibitor applications.

The groundbreaking ceremony for the VerdePalm plant was co-hosted by Chad Waite, Chairman of the Verdezyne Board of Directors, and YBhg. Tan Sri Dato' Abdul Ghani Othman, Chairman of the Board of Sime Darby Berhad, the largest investor in Verdezyne Inc. Attendees included Malaysian dignitaries and representatives from Verdezyne's partners, Bio-XCell Malaysia and the Malaysian Biotechnology Corporation. The Guest of Honor, YAB Dato' Mohamed Khaled Nordin, Chief Minister of Johor, presented the Officiating Speech.

The VerdePalm plant is expected to be completed in 12-18 months. VerdePalm will be the world's first biobased plant for DDDA production. "Importantly, the starting yeast will be made from the spent biomass that results from palm oil processing," Waite stated. "Crude palm oil and palm byproducts, as well as other plant-based raw materials, will be used to produce approximately 6,000 metric tons of industrial grade DDDA each year. Verdezyne's technology will enable a very low-value by-product of palm oil processing to become a high-value "green" product that reduces the use of petroleum."

"We are excited that a product made by Verdezyne and our Malaysian partners will be shipped around the world to be used as an alternative to the typical petroleum-derived intermediate chemicals," said E. William Radany, Ph.D., President and CEO of Verdezyne. "The VerdePalm plant is part of our comprehensive strategy of expansion into Asia, and represents a major step toward our goal of replacing petroleum-derived chemicals with renewable drop-in replacements," he noted.

"Malaysia is proud to host Verdezyne's first commercial manufacturing plant, which is located at the Malaysian Bio-XCell park. I believe the eco-system provided by the park will be an excellent fit for the VerdePalm facility. Malaysia will continue to commit to the ongoing advancement of biotechnology in the country. The groundbreaking ceremony signifies Verdezyne's readiness to work with Malaysia and marks another milestone in our quest to add value to the palm industry using biotechnology as a catalyst," said Zainal Azman B. Abu Kasim, Senior Vice President of BioIndustrials, Bioeconomy Corporation in Malaysia.

DDDA is a key component of FerroShield, which can be used in numerous corrosion inhibitor applications including metalworking fluids, engine coolants, metal cleaners, die cast release agents, and aqueous hydraulic fluids. "Marketing of FerroShield was launched in February of this year," Dr. Radany added. "The rust inhibition industry is in need of a high-performing dibasic acid mixture that can be easily incorporated into existing customer formulas. We foresee strong demand for FerroShield in a number of countries in Asia and Europe, as well as in the U.S. and Canada."

About VerdezyneVerdezyne is a synthetic biology company offering biobased chemicals manufactured via fermentation of its proprietary yeast cells. The company has two commercial products, BIOLON™ DDDA (dodecanedioic acid) and FerroShield™ dibasic acid mixture. Current investors in Verdezyne include BP Ventures, DSM Venturing B.V., OVP Venture Partners, Monitor Ventures, and Sime Darby. For more information, visit www.verdezyne.com or connect with the company on Twitter,LinkedIn or Facebook.

For samples, orders or more information about Verdezyne's FerroShield, please contact:

SINGAPORE, July 28, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The Southeast Asia (SEA) and Australia and New Zealand (ANZ) chromatography market is witnessing steady growth. Overall market growth is driven by the growing industrial sectors in Southeast Asia and ANZ, and a need to adhere to quality assurance, process control, and regulatory standards. While Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, and Indonesia are key hot spots contributing to high growth rates in the region, foreign direct investment inflows to countries such as the Philippines and Vietnam are encouraging regional development.

"High cost of ownership, maintenance costs, and the need for quicker analysis are causing end users to shift toward better technologies such as process chromatographs," said Test & Measurement Research Analyst Sneha Ayyar.

"Vendors that focus on project execution, equipment support and value-added services as part of their offering will gain a competitive edge," she added.

Growth Opportunities in the SEA & ANZ Chromatography Market, Forecast to 2021, new research from Frost & Sullivan's Test & Measurement Growth Partnership Service, finds that the SEA and ANZ chromatography market generated revenues of US$242.6 million in 2016 at a year-on-year growth rate of 5.7 percent. The study provides an analysis of current and expected market developments, drivers, restraints, and revenue forecasts across segments and end-user groups. The market share and competitive landscape for major players such as Thermo Fisher Scientific, Agilent Technologies, Waters Corp, Perkin Elmer,and Shimadzu Scientific Instruments are provided.

Click here for complimentary access to more information on this analysis and to register for a Growth Strategy Dialogue, a free interactive briefing with Frost & Sullivan's thought leaders.

Strategic imperatives for vendor success and growth in the SEA and ANZ chromatography market include:

Embracing change through new business models and technologies that offer scope for implementation of Industrial Internet of Things;

Reducing the footprint of the instrument to penetrate low-budget end users and increase the scope of applications;

Working with government agencies to capitalize on opportunities in the oil and gas sector; and

"Although food testing, pharmaceuticals, and water and wastewater are the fastest growing end-user segments, the automation of equipment will become a key customer requisite in order to tackle the lack of skilled labor," noted Ayyar.

Frost & Sullivan's study covers chromatography segments such as liquid, ion, and gas. End-user segments include oil and gas, chemical and petrochemical, pharmaceutical, biotechnology and life science, water and wastewater, environmental testing, food and beverage, government, and academics and research institutes. Regions like Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines, Australia, and New Zealand are assessed.

About Frost & Sullivan

Frost & Sullivan, the Growth Partnership Company, works in collaboration with clients to leverage visionary innovation that addresses the global challenges and related growth opportunities that will make or break today's market participants. For more than 50 years, we have been developing growth strategies for the global 1000, emerging businesses, the public sector and the investment community. Contact us: Start the discussion

SANTA CLARA, California, July 28, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Water scarcity, severe water stress, and stringent regulations to control pollution in water bodies are supporting the growth of decentralized packaged/containerized water and wastewater treatment (WWWT) globally. These modularized treatment plants are low maintenance, compact, easy to install, and more energy efficient. They can reduce the burden on, or eliminate the need for, centralized treatment systems. More importantly, decentralized packaged/containerized treatment is economical and highly sustainable. Developing innovative solutions with lower energy consumption and operating costs will provide a strong competitive advantage for vendors among municipal, industrial and commercial end users.

Click here for complimentary access to more information on this analysis and to register for a Growth Strategy Dialogue, a free interactive briefing with Frost & Sullivan's thought leaders.

"Membrane-based packaged plants will dominate the decentralized packaged/containerized WWWT market," said Frost & Sullivan Energy & Environment Research Analyst Paul Hudson. "Among regional markets, Asia-Pacific will be the fastest growing, with immense opportunities that can be leveraged through collaboration with regional players."

The global decentralized packaged/containerized treatment plants market is expected to reach revenues of $6.08 billion by 2023, fueled by rapid urbanization and industrialization. High-rise real estate development in Asia-Pacific, Middle East and North Africa, and new sub-urban and rural communities in Europe and North America will contribute to market revenue in the municipal end-user segment. Industrial growth in developing countries like India and China will also bolster opportunities.

Other market growth opportunities include:

Low-energy packaged containerized treatment;

Solar-operated packaged containerized treatment plants that are green and economical;

Value-added services, such as Smart-IoT for the operation and monitoring of packaged treatment systems; and

Business models such as pay-for-performance and build-own-operate-maintain that overcome consumers' funding concerns.

Frost & Sullivan, the Growth Partnership Company, works in collaboration with clients to leverage visionary innovation that addresses the global challenges and related growth opportunities that will make or break today's market participants. For more than 50 years, we have been developing growth strategies for the global 1000, emerging businesses, the public sector and the investment community. Contact us: Start the discussion

SANTA CLARA, Calif., July 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Despite subdued growth in recent years due to low oil prices and a sluggish North American economy, several factors are causing resurgence in the North American diaphragm pumps market. These include robust need for air-operated double-diaphragm (AODD) pumps and metering pumps in the water and chemicals industries, and booming infrastructural development. Growth will be augmented by strong sales of diaphragm pumps in the oil and gas, food and beverage, power generation, and pharmaceutical sectors. Original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and suppliers will need to expand channel, distribution, and partnership initiatives, and consider acquisitions to drive product line expansion, customer base and market share in a competitive and fragmented ecosystem.

North American Diaphragm Pumps Market, Forecast to 2022, recent research from Frost & Sullivan's Industrial Automation & Process Control Growth Partnership subscription, provides an in-depth analysis of economic factors impacting the North American diaphragm pumps market. Opportunities in terms of investment landscape and technology across key applications segments for industrial pumps are analyzed. Competitive profiles of major players such as PSG, IDEX, Ingersoll Rand, Milton Roy, and Xylem are also provided.

"Demand for energy-efficient pumps, catalyzed by new government mandates and regulations, will result in the development of advanced pumps with smart, electronic features that will also enable better system integration," said Frost & Sullivan Industrial Automation & Process Control Research Analyst Shilpa Mathur Ramachandran. "Investment in constant innovation is imperative to diaphragm pump manufacturers' success as the convergence of automation with the process equipment industry looms large."

A focus on infrastructure development will help Canada dominate the diaphragm pumps market in North America until 2019, after which its percentage share of the total industry will begin to decline. Trends and developments driving growth in the NA diaphragm pumps market include:

Low initial cost of purchase;

Cheaper repair and maintenance, and easier installation;

Wide application range for pumping fluids with varying viscosities;

Rising focus on the development of the water and wastewater industry in the US and Canada;

"Low-cost competition from European and Asian pump manufacturers is likely to affect North American pump sales and lead to a gradual, yet definite, reduction in local manufacturing and sales business," noted Ramachandran. "To beat competition on this front, local companies must provide competitive pricing, improve operational efficiency and longevity of pumps, and invest in technological advancements and research and development."

About Frost & Sullivan

Frost & Sullivan, the Growth Partnership Company, works in collaboration with clients to leverage visionary innovation that addresses the global challenges and related growth opportunities that will make or break today's market participants. For more than 50 years, we have been developing growth strategies for the global 1000, emerging businesses, the public sector and the investment community. Contact us: Start the discussion

SHANGHAI, July 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The Linde Group, a world leading industrial gases and engineering company, today announced that it has signed an agreement with Wanhua Chemical Group ("Wanhua Chemical"), the world's largest producer of isocyanate (MDI), to expand the supply of gas to Phase II of Wanhua Chemical's Yantai operations. Under the new agreement, Linde will invest EUR108m (835m RMB) to build two additional energy efficient steam-driven ASUs, complementing the two existing ASUs already in place, to meet Wanhua Chemical's growing demand for industrial gases.

Mr Sanjiv Lamba, Chief Operating Officer for Asia Pacific and Member of the Executive Board at Linde AG, said, "The agreement with Wanhua Chemical underscores our long and valued partnership. China continues to be an important part of Linde's Asia profitable growth strategy. Aside from robust domestic demand, Chinese businesses are increasingly looking for opportunities abroad. Being able to meet the demand for high quality industrial gases, delivered with the same reliability and efficiency, anywhere in the world, is Linde's compelling proposition for companies that want to take their business global."

Mr Liao Zengtai, Chief Executive Officer of Wanhua Chemical, said, "Wanhua Chemical is increasingly looking beyond China to drive growth of our business. Today, nearly a third of our products are scheduled for export, and this will continue to grow. Wanhua Chemical and Linde have developed a very solid partnership over the past years with proven cooperative experience. As a truly international producer, Wanhua Chemical needs partners who are ready to work with us on a global basis. For us, Linde is that partner."

When the plants come on stream in 2019, they will be one of Linde's most advanced gaseous and liquid production sites in Asia Pacific. The new plants will improve the reliability and stability of gas supply, while also increasing production flexibility and reducing production costs. This is made possible using Linde's expertise to optimise the operating modes of multiple ASUs, capable of adjusting both the type and volume of gases to match the requirement of the Yantai site.

Linde currently has supply agreements with Wanhua Chemical in Yantai and Ningbo, China, as well as in Kazincbarcika, Hungary. This new Yantai Wanhua deal is the fourth between the two companies, as Wanhua Chemical looks to integrate its global supply chain.

About The Linde Group

In the 2016 financial year, The Linde Group generated revenue of EUR 16.948 bn, making it one of the leading gases and engineering companies in the world, with approximately 60,000 employees working in more than 100 countries worldwide. The strategy of The Linde Group is geared towards long-term profitable growth and focuses on the expansion of its international business, with forward-looking products and services. Linde acts responsibly towards its shareholders, business partners, employees, society and the environment in every one of its business areas, regions and locations across the globe. The company is committed to technologies and products that unite the goals of customer value and sustainable development. For more information, see The Linde Group online at www.linde.com.

In East Asia, Linde is headquartered in Shanghai and employs more than 5,500 employees at about 70 subsidiaries and joint ventures in Greater China. In China alone, Linde operates more than 200 production facilities across key industrial centres. For more information about Linde in China, please visit www.linde-gas.com.cn.

About Wanhua Chemical Group Co., Ltd.

Wanhua Chemical Group Co., Ltd. ("Wanhua Chemical") is the only Chinese company holding independent intellectual property rights for MDI manufacturing. With the conviction that technological innovation should always be built into core competency, Wanhua Chemical has been dedicated to optimising its industrial structure and established a presence in four major areas, namely: a full range of polyurethane products including isocyanate and polyol; petrochemicals including acrylic acids and esters; materials and solutions including surfacing materials, TPU, SAP and PC; and performance chemicals including organic amine. For more information please visit: http://www.whchem.com/en/

CAPE TOWN, South Africa, July 25, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- As consumers become increasingly discerning and demand personal care products that address their specific needs, the market for phytochemicals is receiving a massive boost. These bio-based chemicals have significant potential as product differentiators, as suppliers are eager to showcase their new chemicals and wider product portfolios.

"Sub-Sahara Africa (SSA) has up to 60,000 species of plants, which translates to abundant feedstock for phytochemical production," said Frost & Sullivan Visionary Science Senior Industry Analyst Constance Nyambayo. "The higher production opportunities stoke product and research and development (R&D) collaborations among stakeholders that will, in turn, boost the commercialisation potential of phytochemicals."

By boosting operations to obtain higher economies of scale, phytochemical manufacturers can make their products comparable in price to synthetic chemicals and achieve long-term viability in the personal care market. Additionally, backward and forward integrations help chemicals suppliers position themselves along several nodes in the value chain and capture margins at more than one point.

Growth Opportunities in the Phytochemicals Market in Sub-Saharan Africa, 2016 is part of Frost & Sullivan's Future of Health, Beauty and Packaging Growth Partnership Subscription. The market analysis focuses on the phytoingredients used in personal care products, such as skin lightening, moisturiser, UV-absorbers, antimicrobials and antibacterial, exfoliators and anti-aging formulations.

Click here for complimentary access to more information on this analysis and to register for a Growth Strategy Dialogue, a free interactive briefing with Frost & Sullivan's thought leaders.

Operating in a fledgling market, phytochemical manufacturers have to invest substantially in technology, consumer research and advertising. The long wait to obtain and maintain bio prospecting licenses often deters investors, as do the lack of homogeneity and efficacy in chemicals, and the high costs of processing phytochemicals. Entrants need to sign partnerships with diverse companies in the chemicals ecosystem to quickly establish themselves.

Collaborations with chemicals companies are critical because home and personal care companies purchase chemicals from global suppliers that manufacture or source their chemicals overseas. This increases the costs for consumer goods companies; however, the lack of local participants that meet their quality standards as well as the lower retail prices in the region make it difficult for them to expand or survive. The entry of international chemical companies with greater technical abilities is set to change the competitive landscape.

"There is huge potential waiting to be tapped into in unexplored ingredients and in customer bases beyond the traditional markets of South Africa, Kenya and Nigeria," noted Nyambayo. "The development of diverse product portfolios tailored for the SSA population, focusing not just on women but on men as well, will widen the customer pool. Phytochemical manufacturers can further broaden their target market by employing wholesome manufacturing, agricultural and clinical practices, and adhering to ethical sourcing to achieve international standards."

About Frost & Sullivan

Frost & Sullivan, the Growth Partnership Company, works in collaboration with clients to leverage visionary innovation that addresses the global challenges and related growth opportunities that will make or break today's market participants. For more than 50 years, we have been developing growth strategies for the global 1000, emerging businesses, the public sector and the investment community. Contact us: Start the discussion

Growth Opportunities in the Phytochemicals Market in Sub-Saharan Africa, 2016MCFA-39

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CHMCPCHOUSVYTue, 25 Jul 2017 13:30:00 +0800http://en.prnasia.com/story/183601-0.shtml
FUKUYAMA, Japan, July 25, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- KAIHARA Corp., a denim manufacturer based in Fukuyama, Hiroshima Prefecture, known as a world-renowned denim production area, has launched the "Cruising JEANS" project to produce jeans with denim fabrics exposed to sea breezes during cruising -- the first of its kind in the world.

Japan's fashion industry is exposed to global competition. In an effort to outstrip its competitors, KAIHARA Corp., known for its "KAIHARA DENIM" brand, has developed a unique method of producing jeans that cannot be seen elsewhere in the world. Specifically, a sail is made with denim fabrics and exposed to sea breezes during cruising before being processed into jeans.

Denim fabrics, which are fully exposed to breezes in the Seto Inland Sea as a sail, take on a unique tinge and do not easily fade in color because substances -- for example sodium and magnesium -- contained in sea breezes combine with indigo in the materials.

In other words, KAIHARA Corp. has created its original products in this project by exposing denim fabrics, produced in Fukuyama that faces the Seto Inland Sea, to breezes in the inland sea.

After cruising over a total distance of more than 700 kilometers in a 40-day period, calling at 14 ports, KAIHARA Corp. processed the sail made of denim fabrics into more than 10 items, ranging from jeans, T-shirts and bags to shoes, and put them on sale.

KAIHARA Corp. allows members of the general public to not only view the manufacturing process of giving distressed effects to denim fabrics but also participate in the manufacturing of jeans by cruising on a boat equipped with a sail made of denim fabrics.

Completely blue scenes -- the blue sky, the blue ocean and blue denim -- are new landscapes unique to Fukuyama, a city facing the sea. Through the "Cruising JEANS" project, KAIHARA Corp. has offered a value of slow fashion in the age when fast fashion is blooming.

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ATLCHMFASREATEXTRAPDTTue, 25 Jul 2017 13:00:00 +0800http://en.prnasia.com/story/183505-0.shtmlTOKYO, July 24, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- ADEKA CORPORATION announced on July 24 that its phosphorus flame retardant series "ADK STAB FP-2000" received the first UL Marketing Claim Verification and UL Verified Mark in the field of performance materials from UL, a global safety science organization, in April. The mark claims that the ADK STAB FP-2000 series produced 99% less smoke density and 89% less carbon monoxide (CO) emissions under flaming conditions as compared to Bromide-Treated Polypropylene (PP). (http://verify.ul.com/mark?id=A872760)

The UL Verified Mark demonstrates that UL has verified a specific marketing claim through independent, repeatable and science-based assessments. UL's verification provides objective credibility to the accuracy of the marketing messages by manufacturers. In the ADEKA project, UL tested two groups of samples with V-0 (1.6 mm) flammability which are prepared with PP containing the flame retardant of the FP-2000 series and bromine flame retardants, respectively. The test results demonstrated that smoke generation had decreased by 99% and CO emissions had decreased by 89% in the PP samples with the FP-2000 series flame retardant as compared to the PP samples containing the brominate flame retardant. The characteristics of low smoke and CO emissions highly improve safety during fire.

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CHMENVPDTPSFMon, 24 Jul 2017 14:00:00 +0800http://en.prnasia.com/story/183489-0.shtmlSHANGHAI, July 24, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Wison Engineering Services Co. Ltd. ("Wison Engineering") (SEHK Stock Code: 2236), one of the leading chemical engineering, procurement and construction ("EPC") management service providers in China, announced that its non-wholly owned affiliated company, Wison Engineering (China) Limited, has been awarded an EPFC (engineering, procurement, fabrication and construction) contract for one section of Low Density Polyethylene (LDPE) project in Texas by Formosa Plastics Corporation, U.S.A. ("Formosa Plastics"). This is Wison Engineering's first contract awarded in the American market, representing a new milestone in the implementation of its internationalization strategy. Wison Engineering will be responsible for modularization engineering, fabrication, transportation and on-site installation for the project.

Ms. Vivian Li, Vice President of Wison Petrochemicals (NA) LLC, said, "Adhering to our internationalization strategy, Wison Engineering has been actively seeking overseas business opportunities and established a management system and execution team with the capabilities to cater to the requirements of international business operations, as well as a global procurement and construction resource network. Following the successful business expansion in the Middle East, South America, and CIS markets, this project signifies an important step in the Company's overseas market development, posting great influence on the Company's global market expansion."

Wison Engineering Services Co. Ltd. (SEHK Stock Code: 2236) is one of the leading chemical engineering, procurement and construction ("EPC") management service providers in China. The Company specializes in serving the energy sectors including petrochemicals, coal chemicals, oil refining and fine chemicals. From technology licensing, project planning and consultation to PDP, FEED, engineering design, procurement and construction management, as well as start-up and operational services, the Company provides diversified services and one-stop solutions to clients worldwide.

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FINCHMOILUTICONMon, 24 Jul 2017 11:32:00 +0800http://en.prnasia.com/story/183439-0.shtmlHARBIN, China, July 21, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- China XD Plastics Company Limited (NASDAQ: CXDC) ("China XD Plastics" or the "Company"), one of China's leading specialty chemical players engaged in the development, manufacture and sale of modified plastics primarily for automotive applications, today announced the official signing of investment agreements between its subsidiary, Heilongjiang Xinda Enterprise Group Company Limited, and the Management Committee of Harbin Economic - Technological Development Zone with respect to the industrial project for 300,000 metric tons of biological composite materials, the industrial project for upgrading existing equipment for 100,000 metric tons of engineering plastics and the industrial project for a 3D printing intelligent manufacture demonstration factory and a 3D printing display and experience cloud factory (the "Project").

"The official signing of the investment agreements for the Project is another milestone for the Company," said Jie Han, Chairman and CEO of China XD Plastics. "This Project will help the Company to expand its product mix into bio-based composites, 3D printing materials and functional masterbatch materials whilemaintaining our traditional petroleum-based materials. Paving the path to non-auto applications and further diversifying our company's business as a key element of our strategic plan.

In its 'Made in China 2025' and 'The Thirteenth Five-Year Plan', the Chinese Government highlighted biological composite materials and additive manufacturing used composite materials as key planning technology areas and clearly stated the importance of strengthening R&D in bio-based polymer materials, and developing bioplastics packaging, bioplastics auto parts and other related areas as part of a nationwide initiative in supply side reform to promote the field of additive manufacturing used composite materials. Encouraged by the strong demand and market potential for biological composite materials, additive manufacturing used composite materials and functional masterbatch materials, the Company's Board of Directors preliminarily approved the Company's strategic investment in these initiatives in December 2016 and on June 1, 2017, respectively. The Company's Board of Directors subsequently ratified the Company's capital investment in the Project.

As part of the Company's strategic investment, the Company will develop 120,000 metric tons of capacity for petroleum-based materials, 300,000 metric tons of capacity for biological composite materials and 10,100 metric tons of capacity for additive manufacturing used composite materials pursuant to the Project. The total capital expenditures for the Company will be RMB 4.15 billion (estimated to be US$ 614 million). Both the industrial project for 300,000 metric tons of biological composite materials and the industrial project for a 3D printing intelligent manufacturing demonstration factory and a 3D printing display and experience cloud factory are expected to be completed by the end of July 2019. The industrial project for upgrading existing equipment for 100,000 metric tons of engineering plastics is expected to be completed by the end of June 2018.

About China XD Plastics Company Limited

China XD Plastics Company Limited, through its wholly-owned subsidiaries, develops, manufactures and sells polymer composites materials, primarily for automotive applications. The Company's products are used in the exterior and interior trim and in the functional components of 29 automobile brands manufactured in China, including without limitation, AUDI, Mercedes Benz, BMW, Toyota, Buick, Chevrolet, Mazda, Volvo, Ford, Citroen, Jinbei and VW Passat, Golf, Jetta, etc. The Company's wholly-owned research center is dedicated to the research and development of polymer composites materials and benefits from its cooperation with well-known scientists from prestigious universities in China. As of March 31, 2017, 410 of the Company's products have been certified for use by one or more of the automobile manufacturers in China. For more information, please visit the Company's English website at http://www.chinaxd.net, and the Chinese website at http://www.xdholding.com.

Safe Harbor Statement

This announcement contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements other than statements of historical fact in this announcement are forward-looking statements, including but not limited to, the Company's growth potential in international markets; the effectiveness and profitability of the Company's product diversification strategy; the impact of the Company's product mix shift to more advanced products and related pricing policies; the effectiveness, profitability, and the marketability of its the ongoing mix shift to more advanced products; and the prospect of the Company's Harbin facilities. These forward-looking statements can be identified by terminology such as "will," "expect," "project," "anticipate," "forecast," "plan," "believe," "estimate" and similar statements. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties and are based on current expectations, assumptions, estimates and projections about the Company and the industry. A number of important factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement. Potential risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the global economic uncertainty could further impair the automotive industry and limit demand for our products; fluctuations in automotive sales and production could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations and liquidity; our financial performance may be affected by the prospect of our Dubai facility and the associated expansion into Middle East, Europe and other parts of Asia; the withdrawal of preferential government policies and the tightening control over the Chinese automotive industry and automobile purchase restrictions imposed in certain major cities may limit market demand for our products; the slowing of Chinese automotive industry's growth; the concentration of our distributors, customers and suppliers; and other risks detailed in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission and available on its website at http://www.sec.gov. The Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements to reflect subsequent occurring events or circumstances, or to changes in its expectations, except as may be required by law. Although the Company believes that the expectations expressed in these forward looking statements are reasonable, it cannot assure you that its expectations will turn out to be correct, and investors are cautioned that actual results may differ materially from the anticipated results.

It is a new Enea that has now put its first half-year behind it. The acquisition of Qosmos last December has complemented the other parts of our business really well, in both hard and soft factors. It is already contributing positively to our business top and bottom line, but has also advanced our market positioning significantly in our focused segments of NFV and cyber security. The acquisition has also strengthened our management and engi­neering capabilities.

In overall terms, our second quarter revenue grew by 20 percent year over year. Meanwhile, we are still facing challenges in busi­ness on Key Accounts. Even if, due to the settlement of a previous delivery and the acquisition of Qosmos, we did increase income in the quarter by 22 percent year over year. But the long-term trend remains downward, which is, and will remain, our primary challenge. We need to offset the decline in our current business with major customers, with growth in new segments.

Continued trends

The second quarter continued the trends we witnessed in the first. Unfortunately, our US service sales continued to make negative progress, with year over year revenues down by more than 20 percent for the third quarter running. The major services deals we projected to close during the first half of 2017 has not materia­lized as expected. It is likely that this trend will continue for the rest of the year, even if the year over year numbers are expected to stabilize by the end of the year. Services sales in Europe made positive progress in the first half-year 2017, as in 2016. We expect this positive trend to also continue in the coming quarters. With the exception of Key Accounts and network intelligence, our glo­bal software operations continued to progress slowly in the second quarter 2017 in year over year terms. During the quarter we have executed changes in our sales and marketing organization, to reduce costs and accelerate sales.

To spur sales and address new market conditions, we are conti­nuing to develop our product portfolio. In the NFV segment, we announced two new products in the quarter: Enea NFV Core—an NFV platform that builds on our work in the OPNFV project, and Enea NFV Access, a platform optimized for usage cases closest to the subscriber in the network, usually known as customer premi­ses equipment (CPE). We're now working actively to bring these products to market, and are in promising dialogue with potential customers and partners. We were also able to publicly announce a project that we have ongoing with China Mobile, the world's largest mobile operator in many respects. Even if the financial value of this project is limited, we attach great strategic significan­ce to this type of project, and the recognition that partnering with China Mobile brings. We'll keep developing our positioning in the segments where we perceive demand and where the world of tomorrow is being built.

Satisfactory margins

We have now experienced five years of profit and margin growth, but the coming period will mainly be about realigning our business. During this shift, our focus will be more on establishing a market position than on margin expansion. During this trans­formation process, it will be a challenge to retain the margins generated previously.

It should again be noted that the companies acquired in 2016 returned margins well below the 20 percent-plus that Enea has delivered in recent years. Meanwhile, we are retaining our ambition to return to a 20 percent operating margin as early as by year-end 2017. That is why it is very satisfying that we achieved an operating margin of 20.9 percent before non-recurring costs during the second quarter.

We will create future margin expansion mainly by focusing on fewer segments and by cutting unprofitable areas that lack clear potential, while continuously reviewing our cost base. During the quarter we decided to put two of our older products in maintenance mode and scale down related resources, while simultaneously focusing nearly all new development on cyber security, and first and foremost, on NFV. Even if our investment in NFV is unprofitable at present, we have also decided to focus here, because these are segments developing rapidly on a global basis, and for the past few years, we have created a unique market positioning here. As a result of these changes, our cost base will reduce by some SEK 20 million for the full year 2018. This program will start to be visible already in the second half-year 2017. The changes were complete during the second quarter, and res­tructuring costs of SEK 4.7 million were charged to second-quarter profit.

The significant dispute with a major customer regarding the interpretation of contract terms generated high legal costs in the quarter, which reduced Q2 profit by SEK 3.7 million. We expect legal costs to remain at these levels in the second quarter.

Against this background, our operating margin including non-re­curring costs for the second quarter, of just over 15 percent, and our operating profit of 22.5 million, is very satisfactory, even if it was down by SEK 6.3 million year over year. Excluding non-recur­ring costs totaling SEK 8.5 million, operating profit in the second quarter was better than the corresponding period of the previous year.

Future prospects

We are continuing to build a larger and stronger company with increased values for our customers, employees and shareholders. The transformation process currently underway is fundamentally positive for Enea, and reduces dependence on a single product and a limited number of major customers. Acquisitions that strengthen our market position and long-term earnings ability are a key part of this process, and despite our expectation of redu­ced income from our largest customers, our objective remains to expand with good profitability and sound cash flow. However, we cannot rule out the risk that increasing non-recurring costs associ­ated with this process may be charged to profit for 2017.

Our objective for the full year 2017 is to achieve double-digit revenue growth, and improved operating profit compared to 2016 before non-recurring costs. We expect the improvement of opera­ting profit to occur in the second half-year 2017.

Press and analyst meeting

Press and financial analysts are invited to a press and analyst meeting where Anders Lidbeck, President and CEO, will present and comment on the report.

This information is information that Enea AB (publ) is obliged to make public pursuant to the EU Market Abuse Regulation and the Swedish Securities Markets Act. The information was submitted for publication, through the agency of the contact person set below, on July 19, 2017 at 7.20 CEST.

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, July 18, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- PureCircle (PURE.LSE), the world's leading producer and innovator of great-tasting stevia sweeteners for the global beverage and food industry, notifies the market that today it is launching new stevia leaf-based flavor enhancers. These flavor enhancers significantly augment both vanilla and cocoa flavors, enabling companies to produce products at a manageable price point.

The new products can be labelled as natural flavors on product ingredient labels. These breakthroughs build on PureCircle's extensive range of flavors which allows them to enhance key benefits such as mouthfeel, sweetness quality and different tonalities across a wide range of applications.

Consumer demand for natural cocoa and vanilla ingredients has never been stronger. As evidenced by global new product launches from Mintel*, new products containing cocoa have grown +16% over the past 5 years, and vanilla has increased +31% over the same time period (2011 to 2016).

PureCircle's new flavor enhancers bolster companies' supply of limited cocoa and vanilla ingredients, and thereby diversify risk strategies by introducing a plant-based solution. These new products will allow developers to reduce the amounts of cocoa and vanilla alongside sugar without compromising taste.

Commodity markets for cocoa and vanilla can be highly volatile. In 2016, cocoa prices fluctuated between $2,000 and $3,000 per metric ton. Following much publicized flooding and other issues, experts have estimated that vanilla will exceed $500/kg.

These new stevia leaf discoveries enable PureCircle to engage with customers active in the $12bn cocoa market and $1bn vanilla market (based on current prices).

Along with these flavor enhancer discoveries, PureCircle's innovative stevia sweeteners continue to see heavy adoption as they enable low-calorie and zero-calorie formulations of food and beverages. PureCircle is continuing its leadership role in the research, development and innovation to produce a growing supply of multiple varieties of stevia sweeteners.

Commenting, Faith Son Head of Marketing and Innovation said:

"We are excited to have an opportunity to meet new needs of our customers by introducing these flavor enhancers that specifically address cocoa and vanilla. We strive to uncover new properties within the stevia leaf, and this breakthrough enables us to service new markets and customers in a meaningful way. PureCircle is committed to maximising the full potential extracted from each leaf, and we believe ourability to reduce sugar and enhance key flavor tonalities naturally will be a winning combination."

* Data provided by Mintel GNPD 2011-2017

Notes to Editors

About PureCircle

PureCircle is the only company that combines advanced R&D with full vertical integration from farm to high-quality innovative stevia sweeteners.

The Company collaborates with farmers who grow the stevia plants and with food and beverage companies which seek to improve their low- and no-calorie formulations using a sweetener from plants.

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BEVCHMFODREAPDTTue, 18 Jul 2017 15:00:00 +0800http://en.prnasia.com/story/182695-0.shtmlSHANGHAI, July 13, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Dow's Packaging and Specialty Plastics (P&SP), a business unit of The Dow Chemical Company (NYSE: DOW) launches tenter frame biaxially oriented polyethylene (TF-BOPE) at ProPack China 2017: an innovative and revolutionary addition to the INNATE™ Precision Packaging Resin family. Compared to the traditional polyethylene (PE) film, TF-BOPE film has higher mechanical properties and material rigidity, better optical and printing performance. Through collaboration with North American Material Science group, P&SP's Research & Development (R&D) team in Asia Pacific came up with this breakthrough solution based on research on the packaging markets' requirements, both locally and globally.

"For the past decade, our regional R&D team has engaged in intensive research and made headways into the future trends of packaging market. We have gained insights into the challenges and finally developed this revolutionary product which breaks through the limits of traditional PE products," said Wu Chang, Asia Pacific director for Technical Services and Development (TS&D), Dow Packaging and Specialty Plastics, "The launch of this innovative product showcases Dow's futuristic and cutting-edge insights, as well as our strong R&D capacity."

With Dow's exclusive technology, the TF-BOPE film is developed to demonstrate excellent optical properties such as transparency and glossiness. Compared to traditional PE products, TF-BOPE can achieve up to 80% less haze, twice the impact strength, thrice the puncture resistance, thrice the tensile strength, and twice the tensile modulus. TF-BOPE material has excellent flex cracking resistance which sustains great tenacity even under low temperature. All of these qualities represents a big leap from the performance of the traditional PE product.

A Safer, More Environment-friendly, More Sustainable Packaging Solution

This new material has excellent mechanical properties which can reduce film thickness by replacing BOPA (biaxially oriented polyamide) and other polymers in abuse layers for packaging.

With the excellent optical performance and print ability, the TF-BOPE film can be used directly as the printed layer of the packaging. By combining it with other PE functional layers, TF-BOPE can achieve a packaging with ALL PE structure, making it more convenient for recycling and increasing the sustainability quotient.

The TF-BOPE film is easy to tear, an important requirement for packaging products, thereby increasing the convenience in usage.

Dow is currently in collaboration with Guangdong Decro Film New Materials Co., Ltd and KAIDA Group for the commercialized production of the TF-BOPE film used in liquid washing bag. The traditional liquid detergent bag uses polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and BOPA packaging materials. The new TF-BOPE film will replace BOPA as the interlayers of the packaging, reducing the packaging material used and strengthening the mechanical performance of packaging bags. Dow is also cooperating with other market players to promote the use of TF-BOPE film for rice bags, pet food bags, heavy bags and other packaging requirements.

"To date, this new product has been launched in Asia. The subsequent global release will follow," added Kodak Xiao, Asia Pacific marketing director for Food & Specialty Packaging, Dow Packaging and Specialty Plastics, "The requirements on safety, eco-friendliness, and physical properties of plastic films in the packaging industry will be higher. As one of the leading materials solutions providers to the packaging industry, Dow hopes to collaborate with key stakeholders across the value chain to promote innovative and sustainable packaging solutions, and promote the healthy and dynamic development of the industry."

"Entegris brings together its expertise in fluidic product solutions and knowledge of contamination control to develop these products," stated Senior Vice President and General Manager of Entegris' Microcontamination Control Division, Clint Haris. "Our collaborations with customers and partners are critical to this understanding, and have guided our investments in filtration technologies. The result is a suite of products that help enable our customers to quickly ramp their factories and maximize their yield."

Entegris Vice President of Wet Etch and Clean and CMP Filtration, Randy Broomhall-Dillard added: "Customer testing with our new devices has illustrated faster start-up times resulting in less chemical waste and improved cost-of-ownership. We're excited to share that evaluations with these new products have also shown superior levels of contamination control that reduces defects and directly helps increase our customers' yields."

For more information, please visit the Entegris product display area during SEMICON® West at the W Hotel near the Moscone Center in San Francisco, July 11 – 13, or visit the product web pages through these links: Torrento, Guardian, Trinzik.

ABOUT ENTEGRISEntegris is a leader in specialty chemicals and advanced materials solutions for microelectronics industry, life sciences and other high-tech industries. Entegris is ISO-9001 certified and has manufacturing, customer service and/or research facilities in the United States, MainlandChina, France, Germany, Israel, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea and Taiwan. Additional information may be found at www.entegris.com.

The new system enables operators to alternate between multiple milling solutions in seconds, due to its innovative tri-clamp design. The head interchangeability is suitable for milling and/or wet material conditioning, as a stand-alone or to complement lab-scale wet granulation systems. It enables operators to process samples as small as 5 grams with minimal loss or product retention, and +50 kg/hr milling for certain products.

The Scalable Lab System utilizes smart-detect, a unique lab equipment feature that automatically ensures the appropriate speed range is fixed by recognizing the head is installed. Thus, a critical parameter for ensuring scalability to production machines is maintained. It intuitively and seamlessly facilitates the transfer of operating parameters from small sample R&D tests, to full-scale production machines.

Formulators, Scientists, Researchers & Developers, and Technical Transfer Specialists can opt for a single platform and select the most suitable milling technology with minimal capital investment and reduced overall space requirements.

Wilf Sanguesa, Product Manager, MPT Pharmaceutical Processing at Quadro Engineering / The Fitzpatrick Company, commented: "Quadro and Fitzpatrick have pioneered the flexibility of interchangeable milling heads in their respective fields. Since 2002, Fitzpatrick's L1A lab model has afforded users the flexibility to interchange FitzMill and Conical mill heads. Quadro introduced the ComilSift in 2009, the first production-scale, single platform, dual-head interchangeable system for milling and/or security screening. With this heritage and our technical focus on delivering scalable and predictable material processing/milling results, we believe the new platform offers a standout, disruptive solution to the market."

The Fitzpatrick Company and Quadro Engineering Corp., Business Units of IDEX Material Processing Technologies have been trusted partners of the majority of the world's top pharmaceutical, chemical, and food ingredient processing customers and together, are celebrating over 120 years of powder processing innovation excellence. Co-located in Waterloo, ON, Canada.

BILLERICA, Massachusetts, July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Entegris, Inc.(NASDAQ: ENTG), a leader in world-class specialty materials, announced today its newIntegra® Plus WS(weir style) family of fluid management valves. Created for use with corrosive chemicals in semiconductor processing applications, the new valves are constructed from high-purity, chemically resistant PFA and PTFE and feature a streamlined design to keep the flow path clean and free from contaminants. In addition, its single-piece diaphragm design eliminates potential separation, increasing valve life and reducing downtime for changeouts. As a result, the new Integra valves enable customers to manage high-flow, bulk chemical delivery with improved process reliability.

Integra Plus WS valves are available now with fully characterized standardPrimeLock®,Flaretek® "SpaceSaver"andPureBond®pipe port connections. They provide system flexibility and easy installation into any fluid handling system.

For more information, please visit the Entegris product display area during SEMICON® West at the W Hotel near the Moscone Center in San Francisco, July 11 -- 13, or visit the product web page atwww.entegris.com/integraplusws.

About Entegris

Entegris is a leader in specialty chemicals and advanced materials solutions for microelectronics industry, life sciences and other high-tech industries. Entegris is ISO-9001 certified and has manufacturing, customer service and/or research facilities in the United States, China, France, Germany, Israel, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea and Taiwan. Additional information may be found atwww.entegris.com.

SAN FRANCISCO, July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Starting this summer, California residential and commercial owners of electric vehicle charging stations enabled with eMotorWerks' JuiceNet smart-grid charging technology will have the opportunity to rent out charging time on their stations to EV drivers participating in a new peer to peer (P2P) network powered by MotionWerk's Share&Charge open platform. Share&Charge was founded by the innogy Innovation Hub whose purpose it is to evolve an innovation portfolio for innogy SE, Germany's leading energy company. The Share&Charge mobile app connects EV drivers with available residential and commercial EV charging stations and facilitates blockchain-based payments from visiting EV drivers to station owners. The new sharing platform aims to increase the availability of public charging stations and decrease range anxiety current and prospective EV drivers experience. This partnership marks the first peer to peer charging network to use blockchain technology in North America.

"In today's marketplace, the availability of public EV charging is still of concern to potential EV drivers. However, P2P charging opens the opportunity to break free of infrastructure limitations and gasoline oligopolies to access electricity for their cars," says Dietrich Sümmerman of Share&Charge. "By establishing networks of individuals willing to share their EV charging stations, we are opening up more charging options to EV drivers, while at the same time ensuring station owners are compensated accordingly. As one of the most popular EV charging solutions in the United States and Europe, eMotorWerks is the perfect partner for our debut in the United States. With this new sharing technology we are bringing to North America, we aim to prove how blockchain technology can make sharing and payment easier and more efficient. We are excited to enable anyone, from individual, to small company or large utility to share their charging stations for an accelerated growth of emobility."

Expanding its P2P charging network already established in Germany, Share&Charge leverages decentralized and transparent Ethereum-powered blockchain technology to allow people to interlink with each other to share and bill products and services securely and conveniently. Through the app, residential and commercial owners of JuiceNet enabled stations can share their charging asset with other EV drivers in the network. Meanwhile, any EV driver can download the Share&Charge app to see available charging facilities on a map and navigate to the closest charging station for charging. With a few clicks in the app, the station owners can choose the times to share their service with others and set the price to charge visiting drivers.

California owners of any JuiceNet enabled devices who would like to share their charging stations are eligible to participate in the new P2P network, but initial participation will be limited on a first-come first-serve basis. Currently compatible devices include charging stations such as eMotorWerks JuiceBox Pro, Aerovironment EVSE-RS JuiceNet Edition, Clipper Creek HCS-40 JuiceNet Edition, and Nayax EVMeter. Additionally, the new service is compatible with eMotorWerks' JuicePlug smart-grid charging adapter that allows any charging station by any manufacturer to participate in the program. All drivers of an electric vehicle can sign up to make use of the shared residential charging stations.

"One common issue we see in the growth of EV adoption is 'range anxiety,' which stems from an overall lack of charging stations for some shorter-range EVs currently on the market. To accelerate the EV revolution, we must increase the number of charging options available," says Val Miftakhov, CEO of eMotorWerks. "By allowing individuals and companies both small and large to make their stations accessible to the public, and to be be paid for their use, station owners gain the opportunity to have their station pay for itself over time, while drivers can feel confident in knowing they'll always have enough charge to get where they are going."

The joint pilot program between eMotorWerks and Share&Charge is slated to begin August 1 of 2017. Users can sign up to participate for the program by filling out the registration form on eMotorWerks website or by sending an email to shareandcharge@emotorwerks.com.

About eMotorWerksFounded in 2010, and based in the San Francisco Bay Area, eMotorWerks is revolutionizing the electric vehicle (EV) charging market with its JuiceNet-enabled smart grid EV charging solutions. JuiceNet enabled devices, such as the company's connected, high-power JuiceBox charging stations, maximize charging efficiency and speed while providing EV owners intuitive control and visibility. By shifting when and how much electricity JuiceNet-enabled stations draw from the grid, eMotorWerks helps utilities and grid operators reduce electricity costs, ease grid congestion, and maximize the use of solar and wind power. eMotorWerks contracts with grid operators for those services and shares back a portion of proceeds to EV drivers via upfront purchase discounts and ongoing rewards for smart-grid charging. For more information on eMotorWerks, please visit www.emotorwerks.com. Follow us on Twitter (@eMotorWerks), on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company/electric-motor-werks-inc-) and Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/eMotorWerks).

AboutShare&ChargeShare&Charge is the first product of MotionWerk, a startup of the innogy Innovation Hub that is part of innogy SE. It is the first global peer-to-peer (P2P) marketplace for electric charging enabled by blockchain. Share&Charge enables people and small-to-midsize enterprises (SMEs) to share their charging stations via a freely available app, thereby helping to advance e-mobility and convert personal charging stations into money-generating machines. Share&Charge is part of MotionWerk's vision of a global mobility transaction platform enabling seamless transport everywhere whilst reducing costs for both travellers and transport providers. Learn more at www.shareandcharge.com/en. Follow us on Twitter (@ShareCharge), on Instagram (@ShareCharge), on LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/company-beta/10926031/) and Facebook (@ShareCharge).

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AUTCHMNETSTWCPREUTENVGRETRNUTILICPDTTue, 11 Jul 2017 19:00:00 +0800http://en.prnasia.com/story/182496-0.shtml
COLOMBES, France, July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Eager to sustain its customers' strong growth, in particular in automotive, 3D-printing, and in consumer goods markets such as sports and electronics, Arkema announces an investment plan of some 300 million euros over five years in the biosourced polyamide 11 chain. This major investment will enable the Group to increase by 50% its polyamide 11 global production capacities. The project falls in line with Arkema's strategy to speed up its development in advanced materials, one of the key pillars of its future growth, sustained by a unique portfolio of innovations around the main sustainable development trends.

Arkema announces a major investment plan in its biosourced polyamide 11 chain with a view to significantly increase its production capacities in Asia.

Over the next five years, the Group plans to invest some 300 million euros in building, in Asia, a world-scale plant dedicated to producing Rilsan® PA11 biosourced polyamide from castor oil. The new plant, which will produce both the amino 11 monomer and its polymer, Rilsan® PA11, should come on stream in late 2021. It will enable Arkema to increase by 50% its Rilsan® PA11 (powder and granule) production capacity. The investment also includes a 50% increase in global production capacities for Pebax®, in particular Pebax® RNew of which amino 11 is a key component. Pebax® RNew is a biosourced polyamide elastomer with unique properties such as energy return and flexibility, earmarked in particular for the sports and electronics markets.

With this upcoming plant, Arkema will have a second amino 11 monomer production site, complementing its historical site in Marseille, France.

Rilsan® PA11 is the only high performance 100% biosourced polyamide to qualify for the most exacting applications in particular in the electronics, 3D-printing and automotive markets, where it serves as a metal substitute.

This investment illustrates the Group's long-term commitment to fulfill strong demand from its customers in Asia by offering biosourced solutions to the key challenges of lightweighting and design of materials. Over the next few years, annual growth of some 7% is forecast in these markets in Asia.

With this project, the specialty polyamides business, which already achieves 40% of its sales in Asia, will bolster its industrial, commercial and R&D presence in the region. The Group thereby confirms its commitment to support its customers by working closely on their individual needs and providing them with the right innovative solutions that match the local specifics of their various markets.

"This project represents a milestone in the development of our specialty polyamides over the next few years. We send this message out to our customers with confidence and pride. Today more than ever, we stand by our customers to offer them ultra high-tech biosourced product ranges. Our aim is to support their development all around the world with innovation-driven expert teams at their service," commented Thierry Le Henaff, Arkema Chairman and Chief Executive Officer.

This project is consistent with the Group's ambitious strategy to significantly step up the development of its advanced materials, which should eventually account for over 25% of sales, while continuing to further consolidate its presence in Asia.

About ArkemaA designer of materials and innovative solutions, Arkema shapes materials and creates new uses that accelerate customer performance. Our balanced business portfolio spans high-performance materials, industrial specialties and coating solutions. Our globally recognized brands are ranked among the leaders in the markets we serve. Reporting annual sales of EUR7.5 billion in 2016, we employ approximately 20,000 people worldwide and operate in close to 50 countries. We are committed to active engagement with all our stakeholders. Our research centers in North America, France and Asia concentrate on advances in bio-based products, new energies, water management, electronic solutions, lightweight materials and design, home efficiency and insulation. www.arkema.com

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AUTFINCHMOILTue, 11 Jul 2017 13:40:00 +0800http://en.prnasia.com/story/182495-0.shtml
COLOMBES, France, July 11, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Arkema today announces a project to double its methyl mercaptan production capacity at its Kerteh site in Malaysia to support the strong growth of the animal feed, petrochemical and refining markets in Asia and to strengthen its world leading position in high value added sulfur derivatives.

Following the successful ramp-up of the Thiochemicals Kerteh plant started early 2015, Arkema will double its production capacity of methyl mercaptan, a sulfur-based intermediate that is key to the manufacture of methionine and other sulfur derivatives businesses. Annual growth of these markets is expected to exceed 5% in the coming years.

Arkema thus confirms its technological leadership in thiochemical processes and ambition to strengthen its world leading position in sulfur derivatives.

This project should come on stream in 2020 and will represent one of the main pillars of the Group's future growth.

A designer of materials and innovative solutions, Arkema shapes materials and creates new uses that accelerate customer performance. Our balanced business portfolio spans high-performance materials, industrial specialties and coating solutions. Our globally recognized brands are ranked among the leaders in the markets we serve. Reporting annual sales of EURO 7.5 billion in 2016, we employ approximately 20,000 people worldwide and operate in close to 50 countries. We are committed to active engagement with all our stakeholders. Our research centers in North America, France and Asia concentrate on advances in bio-based products, new energies, water management, electronic solutions, lightweight materials and design, home efficiency and insulation. www.arkema.com

Inter Lubric China also boasts various quality fringe programs on industry trends, technology and marketing. In the past 17 years, there were more than 100 seminars and conferences held during the exhibition. 2018 Inter Lubric China will bring more premium events:

2017 China International Lubricants, Base Oils & Additives Conference

2017 Domestic Lubricant Dealer and Distributor Program

STLE International Lubricant Training Courses

Metalworking Fluids Communication Seminar

As the premier event of Inter Lubric China, 'China International Lubricants, Base Oils & Additives Conference' has been successfully held in Shanghai , Beijing and Guangzhou for 7 years with support from all sides. This year's conference will be held on September 19-20 in Radisson Blu Hotel, Beijing. The 2-day conference includes 4 modules: Industry Trends, Base Oils, Additives and Lubricant Detection and Monitoring.

BRIDGEWATER, New Jersey and SAN FRANCISCO, July 6, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Gases and engineering company The Linde Group, the leading supplier of rare gases, is investing in its own production and increasing and diversifying its portfolio of third-party sources to meet the growing demand for rare gases in electronics. Leveraging its cryogenic engineering expertise and industrial gas footprint, Linde has over 35 captive air separation units (ASUs) with rare gas production.

"A year ago we announced that we were increasing neon capacity by 40 million liters at a newly installed neon production facility in La Porte, Texas," said Matt Adams, Head of Sales and Marketing, Electronic Gases & Specialty Products. "We are currently adding rare gas processing capacity at our Medford, Oregon plant as part of our business continuity planning."

Neon Linde recognizes the increasing neon demand from DUV (deep UV) multi-patterning lithography and other excimer laser applications. Linde has strengthened its supply chain in Europe, added purification capacity and manages a portfolio of its own and third-party sources.

Xenon To meet the high-volume commercial adoption of xenon for etch applications in new 3D semiconductor structures, Linde is completing a xenon expansion project later this quarter at its Alpha, New Jersey plant. With xenon sources on three continents, Linde is enlarging its supply and making it more robust.

Laser gas mixtures Linde continues to lead in the supply of DUV laser gases to the semiconductor industry. All of the major lithography equipment manufacturers and the world's largest chip manufacturers benefit from the development of new technologies and innovations driven by our Centers of Excellence such as the one for laser gases in Alpha, New Jersey.

"We continue to invest globally in our own sources, and at the same time develop additional supply capacity with our partners," said Andreas Weisheit, Head of Linde Electronics. "Our industry-leading combination of source portfolio and vertical supply chain capability makes Linde a unique provider to the electronics industry."

Linde Electronics will be exhibiting at SEMICON West tradeshow in San FranciscoJuly 11-13. Its focus will be on the quality, expertise, commitment and environmental leadership that Linde Electronics brings to the semiconductor industry through such offerings as electronic specialty gases, on-site solutions, materials recycling and recovery and SPECTRA® nitrogen plants.

SEMICON West is the annual tradeshow for the micro-electronics manufacturing industry. All visitors are welcome to visit Linde in booth number 5952 in the North hall in the Moscone Center in San Francisco. For further inquiries, please contact Francesca Brava at francesca.brava@linde.com.

About The Linde Group In the 2016 financial year, The Linde Group generated revenue of EUR 16.948 bn, making it one of the leading gases and engineering companies in the world, with approximately 60,000 employees working in more than 100 countries worldwide. The strategy of The Linde Group is geared towards long-term profitable growth and focuses on the expansion of its international business, with forward-looking products and services. Linde acts responsibly towards its shareholders, business partners, employees, society and the environment in every one of its business areas, regions and locations across the globe. The company is committed to technologies and products that unite the goals of customer value and sustainable development.

About Linde Electronics Linde Electronics is an industry leader in gases for the electronics market—semiconductor, solar, display and LED. Linde Electronics helps electronics companies achieve their goals through a strong focus on quality and environmental leadership, its expertise, commitment to the industry through ongoing investments in processes, engineering, and on-site and localized solutions, a broad portfolio that includes environmentally sustainable and highly specialized and rigorously measured electronic specialty gases (ESGs), bulk/pipeline gases, equipment, and services, and through working closely with customers to better meet their evolving needs.

The organizers of the Tour de France called upon Bostik, new official partner of the Tour and leading global specialist in smart adhesives, to apply its expertise to enhance the adhesives used on the riders' race numbers. As a result, they developed a new adhesive that makes it possible to use fabric that is more breathable, lighter and more flexible while ensuring improved hold throughout the race.

WHY THE NEED FOR THIS INNOVATION?

The teams' jerseys are designed using advanced technology that has greatly progressed over recent years, meaning that the stiff race numbers were no longer able to closely fit the mesh of the increasingly supple jerseys.

Bostik has worked tirelessly over the last year, alongside the Tour's sports directors, logistics teams and service providers, conducting extensive research and tests on different adhesive polymers. The aim was to develop a more flexible race number that meets the requirements of the Tour (in terms of resistance to wind, rain and sweat), offers greater comfort, is more breathable and is easy to remove at the end of each stage. Tests were carried out during a number of races throughout the year to assess all of these properties and determine the optimum adhesive coverage for race numbers.

"The race numbers enable Tour riders to be identified and are hugely important for race officials and commentators, as well as when it comes to classifications (at the finish line and during sprints, for example). We had to make improvements. The partnership with Bostik gave us the idea to ask their engineers to make the race numbers lighter, more comfortable and more visible and to also improve their hold. The adhesive they developed is better adapted to the latest generation of jerseys. Research is ongoing, as jersey materials are constantly evolving. But it's a huge step forward and we're really pleased with what has been achieved by Bostik's engineers, who will continue to build on the work that has already been done."

Samuel Dumoulin-Rider in the AG2R team:

"The new race numbers stick better. Before, the corners often came unstuck near the pocket where we keep our refreshments. They used to roll up with the wind and sweat and would no longer stick, which doesn't happen anymore. Because they were quite thick, our body temperature was always higher on that part of our backs. But the new numbers are really thin, making it easier for riders to regulate body temperature. Also, before, we needed around a dozen pins, but now we use just three, and I think that's only out of habit. Soon we probably won't use any at all."

Jérémie Peyras -Business Developer at Bostik:

"The challenge for our R&D teams was to develop an adhesive that was not only effective on the new fabrics, but was also comfortable for the riders and easy to use. We presented various prototypes to the organizers and carried out several tests to find the best possible solution. The solvent-free adhesive we developed uses the most advanced adhesive technology. Nevertheless, it will need to continue to evolve to keep up with the technological progress of cycling jerseys."

KEY FIGURE

14,652 race numbers are supplied to the Tour de France each year

About Bostik, an Arkema company

Bostik is a leading global adhesive specialist in construction, consumer and industrial markets. For more than a century, it has been developing innovative adhesive solutions that are smarter and more adaptive to the forces that shape daily lives. From cradle to grave, from home to office, Bostik's smart adhesives can be found everywhere. With annual sales of €1.95 billion, the company employs 6,000 people and has a presence in more than 50 countries. For the latest information, visit http://www.bostik.com .

About Arkema

A designer of materials and innovative solutions, Arkema shapes materials and creates new uses that accelerate customer performance. Our balanced business portfolio spans high-performance materials, industrial specialties and coating solutions. Our globally recognized brands are ranked among the leaders in the markets we serve. Reporting annual sales of €7.5 billion in 2016, we employ approximately 19,000 people worldwide and operate in close to 50 countries. We are committed to active engagement with all our stakeholders. Our research centers in North America, France and Asia concentrate on advances in bio-based products, new energies, water management, electronic solutions, lightweight materials and design, home efficiency and insulation. For the latest information, visit http://www.arkema.com .

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CHMSSESPTLICTue, 4 Jul 2017 17:21:00 +0800http://en.prnasia.com/story/181873-0.shtmlBEIJING, July 3, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The International Polymer Colloids Group Conference (IPCG2017) was held in Arantzazu, Spain, on 25th-30th June, 2017. More than 140 well-known scholars from over 40 countries were invited, as well as experts from industrial companies, such as from BASF and Oriental Yuhong. One of the conference co-chairs of IPCG2017 is Dr. Willie Lau, a chief scientist of Oriental Yuhong.

The International Polymer Colloid Group (IPCG) was established in 1972 to provide a platform for academic and industrial researchers engaged in polymer colloids to communicate and share research results and innovative ideas. Since its founding, the organizers held IPCG in North America or Europe every other year, with more than 40 years of history. The global leading chemical experts hold the post of conference co-chairman in turn. The theme of this conference is the synthesis and performance studies of complex colloids, and the application of advanced colloid monitoring techniques.

Polymer colloid is widely used in the coatings, adhesives, bio-medicine, food and other fields. As the largest waterproof system providers in Asia, Oriental Yuhong has several long-term and in-depth scientific achievements. Prof. Serji Amirkhanian, from South Carolina Asphalt Laboratory of Oriental Yuhong, made a speech of Polymer Modified Asphalt, a Non Aqueous Colloid, sharing the research results and problems with the experts in the field all around the world.

The doctoral student Hao Huang from Lehigh University won a prize for the Best Academic Speech. His presentation is a cooperated research program of Oriental Yuhong and Lehigh University. And another three scholars got the Poster Prize sponsored by Oriental Yuhong.

BILLERICA, Massachusetts, June 28, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Entegris, Inc. (NASDAQ: ENTG),a leader in specialty chemicals and advanced materials solutions for the microelectronics and other industries, announced today that Poco Graphite, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Entegris, Inc., is expanding its capacity to produce graphite material and specialty coatings for semiconductor and high-performance industrial applications by securing the use of the former small diameter graphite electrode factory of Superior Graphite Co. in Russellville, Arkansas. As part of the agreement, Poco Graphite will have access to the assets of the facility, as well as the current workforce.

"Hi-tech industries are increasingly reliant upon continued innovation in advanced materials to enable their growth. As a result, organizations are looking to high-purity/high-performance materials that are specifically engineered for their applications to gain a competitive advantage," stated Entegris Senior Vice President of Specialty Chemicals and Engineered Materials, Stuart Tison. "We continue to invest in research, development, and production of high-performance materials, and we believe the facility in Russellville, owned by Superior Graphite, will help us to meet the growing demands of the high-performance materials market."

President and CEO of Superior Graphite, Edward Carney, offered the following: "We believe this agreement provides a bright future for employees and the City of Russellville. Superior Graphite has been active in Russellville for the past 32 years, and the employees and community have been very supportive of our efforts. We owe a tremendous amount of gratitude to the people there, and are confident in the expertise, creativity, and market development opportunities Poco Graphite will bring."

POCO premium graphite and coatings are used to make precision consumable electrodes for electrical discharge machining, critical components used in the production of microelectronics and a number of consumable products for various industrial applications, including aerospace, optical, medical devices, and precision printing. High-performance material demand is growing in a number of demanding applications -- from semiconductor processing to rigorous, high-temperature applications in jet engines. In particular, market requirements are increasing the need for high-purity materials essential for challenging operating conditions, including those using extreme temperatures, corrosive gases, and challenging material interfaces.

ABOUT ENTEGRISPoco Graphite is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Entegris, Inc., a leader in specialty chemicals and advanced materials solutions for microelectronics industry, life sciences, and other high-tech industries. Entegris is ISO-9001 certified and has manufacturing, customer service and/or research facilities in the United States, China, France, Germany, Israel, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, and Taiwan. Additional information may be found at www.entegris.com.

SANTA CLARA, California, June 27, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- While the global compressors market is expected to perform better in 2017 than in 2016, volatile oil prices and sluggish economies create an uncertain outlook. Factors driving the rebound include new refinery construction in the Middle East and Asia, expansion of liquefaction and regasification plants across the world, increasing industrialization in emerging regions, focus on energy efficiency, and uptake of technologies like Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), artificial intelligence, predictive analytics and Big Data. To succeed in a fiercely competitive ecosystem, companies must invest in emerging technologies and smart maintenance to push data-driven intelligence and return on investment.

Global Compressor Industry Outlook, 2017, recent research from Frost & Sullivan's Industrial Automation & Process Control Growth Partnership subscription, analyzes current and future trends in the global compressor market across end-user industries such as chemicals, construction and mining, food and beverage, general manufacturing, life sciences, oil and gas, and power generation. Technology types such as industrial air compressors and process gas compressors, and product types such as rotary, reciprocating, and centrifugal compressors, are discussed. Competitive profiling of major players such as Siemens, GE, Atlas Copco, Ingersoll Rand, Gardner Denver, Kaeser, Kaishan Group, Fusheng, and Sullair are also provided.

"Differentiation strategies will help players position themselves as product quality leaders," said Frost & Sullivan Industrial Automation & Process Control Research AnalystAnand M Gnanamoorthy. "Consolidation can help achieve integrated solutions, while brand value can be strengthened by increasing awareness among end users through white papers, case studies, and external resources that showcase best practices."

Regional trends in the global compressors market include:

Boom in Asia-Pacific due to industrialization and investment;

Growth spurt in North America due to investment in oil and gas, positive regulatory changes, construction, and an increase in rig count;

Sustainable demand for the global replacement of compressors from large installed bases;

Specialty chemicals and agrochemicals investment in India;

Negative demand in Europe due to Brexit, low oil prices, and geopolitical issues; and

Economic slowdown in Latin America and the Middle East resulting in flat markets.

"Low commodity prices and the need to reduce cost of production are driving the adoption of energy-efficient products such as electric prime movers. This technology can easily interconnect with other control systems, enabling data acquisition for IIoT," noted Gnanamoorthy. "Companies need to develop specific products and strategies to capitalize on new opportunities."

About Frost & Sullivan

Frost & Sullivan, the Growth Partnership Company, works in collaboration with clients to leverage visionary innovation that addresses the global challenges and related growth opportunities that will make or break today's market participants. For more than 50 years, we have been developing growth strategies for the global 1000, emerging businesses, the public sector and the investment community. Contact us: Start the discussion

Given its excellent balance of mechanical and electrical properties, in addition to high moldability and durability, PBT is used in a variety of applications with various additives. However, the smaller and thinner the application designs become, the more flowability of resin will be required. Super-high flow resin, such as LCP, which costs more and requires higher temperature in molding than PBT, has conventionally been used. The DURANEX SF Series meets these requirements while providing the versatility of PBT, including better electrical properties and design flexibility.

Polyplastics offers selections of the DURANEX SF Series with low warpage and high filler characteristics:

DURANEX (R) is a registered trademark of Polyplastics Co., Ltd. in Japan and other countries and is used by WinTech Polymer Ltd. under license.

About Polyplastics

Polyplastics is a global leader in the development and production of engineering plastics solutions. The company has the largest global market share of POM (polyacetal copolymer). With more than 50 years of experience, its technical experts enhance manufacturing and product performance with a proficiency that has become second nature. Backed by a strong global network of R&D, production and sales resources, the team is able to create advanced solutions for an ever-evolving market.

- Reduces barriers for customers to develop new chemistries, accelerating research

DARMSTADT, Germany, June 26, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Merck, a leading science and technology company, today announced a collaboration with Elsevier, the information analytics company specializing in science and health, to add its products into Reaxys, Elsevier's chemistry database.

Researchers and chemists who use Reaxys can now access an additional 43,000 Merck life science compounds and chemicals with data provided directly from the supplier. The collaboration means users will have immediate access to Merck's product availability.

"This integration makes researchers' daily decision-making process much easier as they look for ways to reduce the time it takes to actually buy the compounds that they need," said Udit Batra, Member of the Merck Executive Board and CEO, Life Science. "Together, we're giving customers peace of mind about the quality of the products in development, which is important in such a competitive industry."

The collaboration with Elsevier gives Reaxys users who work in pharmaceutical drug discovery, chemical R&D and other areas a more efficient purchasing process. Customers can quickly compare the cost of purchasing a compound against making it internally, meaning better allocation of resources and saving time.

"Merck is recognized as an industry leader, so this collaboration is a great addition to Reaxys," said Christian Boehm, Director of Chemistry Solutions at Elsevier.

Reaxys contains more than 240 years of unparalleled chemistry content, including 105 million organic, inorganic and organometallic compounds, 42 million chemical reactions, 500 million published experimental facts, 16,000 chemistry related periodicals and six indexing sources for a cross-disciplinary view of chemistry.

All Merck news releases are distributed by email at the same time they become available on the Merck website. Please go to www.merckgroup.com/subscribe to register online, change your selection or discontinue this service.

About Merck

Merck is a leading science and technology company in healthcare, life science and performance materials. Around 50,000 employees work to further develop technologies that improve and enhance life – from biopharmaceutical therapies to treat cancer or multiple sclerosis, cutting-edge systems for scientific research and production, to liquid crystals for smartphones and LCD televisions. In 2016, Merck generated sales of €15 billion in 66 countries.

Founded in 1668, Merck is the world's oldest pharmaceutical and chemical company. The founding family remains the majority owner of the publicly listed corporate group. Merck holds the global rights to the "Merck" name and brand. The only exceptions are the United States and Canada, where the company operates as EMD Serono, MilliporeSigma and EMD Performance Materials.

SANTA CLARA, California, June 21, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The manufacturing approach in the chemicals industry is rapidly changing to meet increasing demand for customized and specialty products over commodity chemicals. As industry consolidation accelerates to enable manufacturers to expand their product portfolios, rising environment and health regulations will also compel them to identify alternate energy sources for chemical production. As a result, the industry is set to leverage advanced and Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT)-based technologies to create smart factories that boost productivity, safety, innovation, and cost savings in the long term.

Chemicals 4.0—The Era of Digital Process Production, recent research from Frost & Sullivan's Industrial Automation & Process Control Growth Partnership subscription, finds that chemical manufacturers' shift towards digital plants will facilitate the formulation of robust strategic plans and goals through improved visibility and accessibility of the business operations across the chemical value chain. Market majors such as BASF, Dow Chemicals, DuPont, Evonik, Clariant and Akzo-Nobel are leveraging IIoT-based technologies to achieve higher business growth and explore new revenue streams through product innovation such as smart chemical products.

Modularisation to provide smaller footprint, less wiring and easier installation.

Geographically, the once dominant chemical industry in Europe is losing share to emerging countries in Asia, mainly China and India. As a result, investments in manufacturing plants and research centers are also shifting to the region. North America's chemical industry, on the other hand, is taking advantage of abundant feedstock from shale gas explorations to reduce raw material costs and dependency on trade imports.

"Chemical giants in partnership with government bodies are actively promoting and investing in digital technologies, especially in advanced countries," noted Emani. "This trend will gradually echo in other countries, promoting local manufacturing and boosting overall chemical industry growth."

About Frost & Sullivan

Frost & Sullivan, the Growth Partnership Company, works in collaboration with clients to leverage visionary innovation that addresses the global challenges and related growth opportunities that will make or break today's market participants. For more than 50 years, we have been developing growth strategies for the global 1000, emerging businesses, the public sector and the investment community. Contact us: Start the discussion

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CHMNETCPRMACMNGPDTSVYWed, 21 Jun 2017 20:10:00 +0800http://en.prnasia.com/story/180908-0.shtmlWUXI, China, June 21, 2017/PRNewswire/ -- Cleantech Solutions International, Inc. ("Cleantech Solutions" or "the Company") (NASDAQ: CLNT) today announced that on June 14, 2017, the Company entered into a stock purchase agreement with certain accredited investors pursuant to which the investors purchased an aggregate of 290,000 shares of the Company's common stock at a purchase price of $3.00 per share. The gross proceeds of approximately $870,000 from the private placement are expected to be used to develop various new business initiatives and for working capital purposes.

This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy these securities, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to the registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such jurisdiction.

The securities sold in the private placement have not been registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act") or state securities laws and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") or an applicable exemption from such registration requirements. The investors have piggyback registration rights until 90 calendar days after the shares are salable under Rule 144 promulgated under the Securities Act in the event that the Company proposes to file a registration statement under the Securities Act with respect to an offering of the Company's securities.

About Cleantech Solutions International

Cleantech Solutions, through its affiliated companies, designs, manufactures and distributes a line of proprietary high and low temperature dyeing and finishing machinery to the textile industry. The Company's latest business initiatives are focused on targeting the technology and sharing economy markets in China.

Safe Harbor Statement

This release contains certain "forward-looking statements" relating to the business of the Company and its subsidiary and affiliated companies and certain potential transactions that they may enter into. These forward looking statements are often identified by the use of forward looking terminology such as "believes," "expects" or similar expressions. Such forward looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to be materially different from those described herein as anticipated, believed, estimated or expected. The Company's actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of a variety of factors, including those discussed in the Company's periodic reports that are filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission and available on its website, including factors described in "Risk Factors" and "Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" in our Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2016 and in our Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2017. All forward-looking statements attributable to the Company or to persons acting on its behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by these factors other than as required under the securities laws. The Company does not assume a duty to update these forward-looking statements.

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ALTFINCHMENVGRETEXOFRWed, 21 Jun 2017 19:30:00 +0800http://en.prnasia.com/story/180791-0.shtmlFRANKFURT, Germany, June 20, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The 2017 China Guangxi Products Exhibition (CGPE or "the Expo") has concluded in Germany with a total value of business deals closed of more than 20 million Euros, covering approximately 5.07 million Euros worth of actual transactions and 15.07 million Euros of intended turnover.

China Guangxi Products Exhibition Wraps Up in Germany with over 20 million Euros in Deals Signed

In sync with the promotion of the manufacturing sector within China'sGuangxi Province in Europe, CGPE put a wide range of industries on display, including engineering machinery, medical care, chemistry, food and more. Over 60 companies from Guangxi province exhibited their products across nearly 70 booths.

"The Expo enables our company to get to know the German market in a comprehensive way and creates a trading platform for us to develop in the country," Zhou Yaxian, a representative from Wuzhou Shengguan Protein Casting Co Ltd, said.

About 1,000 buyers from Germany visited the Expo, among whom were 183 professional purchasers and leaders of major chambers of commerce.

"Increased domestic consumption and growing demand in China has prompted Chinese companies to focus on producing innovative, attractive and competitive goods," said Rouven Schmitting, manager of corporate relations Germany at the German-Chinese Business Association. "Therefore, cooperation with companies that can use the 'Made in Germany' label is particularly in demand. It is important for companies from both countries to open and support distribution channels between their respective markets."

Commenting on this first Guangxi Government-sponsored products exhibition in Germany, Diao Weihong, Director of the Department of Commerce of Guangxi added," The success of this event shows that the market demands of Germany and Guangxi are a good match. We will continue to organize annual exhibitions in more countries to expand trade between Guangxi and the rest of the world."

About Canton Fair Advertising Co, Ltd

Founded in 1988, Canton Fair Advertising Co., Ltd. belongs to China Foreign Trade Centre (Group) which is affiliated to Ministry of Commerce of PRC. As one of the earliest founded professional exhibition service agencies in China, Canton Fair Advertising Co., Ltd. keeps developing innovatively and flexibly. It serves as an integrated solution provider for the whole exhibition industry chain.

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CHMFODHEAMACPDTTDSTue, 20 Jun 2017 18:10:00 +0800http://en.prnasia.com/story/180775-0.shtml- The agreement is the sixth consecutive joint venture in the long-term partnership.]]>
- These three additional air separation plants will double Linde's production capacity of air gases in the Ningbo cluster and will be connected to its existing pipeline supply network across Ningbo.]]>
NINGBO, China, June 20, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- SINOPEC, the biggest integrated refining and chemical company in China, and The Linde Group, a world-leading industrial gases and engineering company, today announced that they have established a EUR 145 million joint venture to supply vital industrial gases to local customers from key industries such as petrochemical, steel and electronics, within the Ningbo Chemical Industrial Zone in China'sZhejiang province.

SINOPEC and Linde sign EUR145 million joint venture to strengthen air gases supply in Ningbo industrial cluster in China

SINOPEC Zhenhai Refining & Chemical Company (ZRCC) and Linde will each hold a 50% stake in the newly formed Ningbo Linde-ZRCC Gases Company Ltd (Linde-ZRCC), the sixth consecutive joint venture between the companies. The agreement will see Linde-ZRCC acquire two existing air separation units (ASUs) from ZRCC and construct a third for a combined 150,000 m3/h of oxygen capacity. The new ASU, expected to be on stream in 2018, will incorporate Linde's intelligent solutions for remote operation, diagnostics and analytics, as well as a modular design to increase efficiency, reduce energy requirements and enhance flexibility of production.

These three additional ASUs will double Linde production capacity of air gases in the Ningbo cluster and will be connected to Linde's pipeline supply network across Ningbo.

Sanjiv Lamba, Member of the Executive Board, Linde AG and Chief Operating Officer, Asia Pacific, said, "Linde is excited about the growth opportunities in China and further strengthening of our partnership with SINOPEC. Today's Linde-ZRCC agreement underscores not only the trusted long-term partnership Linde has with SINOPEC, but also highlights the advantage of world-class technology and operating expertise that Linde brings to our customers. Linde remains fully committed to supporting our customers in China in their growth aspiration. This year alone, we have signed multiple projects for major investments across China, which represents a significant part of Linde's strategy for growth in Asia."

"Linde operations in Ningbo is an excellent example of our cluster strategy in action. Leveraging Linde's gas and engineering expertise and innovations, we are able to consolidate our plant operations which enables our cluster customers to benefit from economies of scale - improved energy efficiency, better quality management, and safer and even more reliable service," said Steven Fang, Regional Business Unit Head, Linde East Asia. He added, "Linde's approach is well aligned with the Chinese government's plans to develop Ningbo into a modern petrochemical hub."

Linde's Engineering Division will design and construct the new air separation unit. Linde's world-leading technology in air separation design offers high energy efficiency and operational reliability.

About Sinopec Zhenhai Refining & Chemical Company

Sinopec Group ranked 2nd on the 2015 Fortune 500 list. With a combination of annual crude oil processing capacity of 23 million tons, annual ethylene production capacity of 1 million tons, annual marine terminal throughput of 45 million tons, and tank storage of more than 3.9 million cubic meters, Sinopec Zhenhai Refining & Chemical Company is not only the biggest integrated refining & chemical company under Sinopec, but also the largest one in China. The business mix characterized by extra large scale capacities in refining, ethylene production, terminal handling, and storage is a strong indicator of its leadership in China's refining & chemical industry. A performance evaluation report from the world-renowned HSB Solomon Associate LLC showed the company's competitiveness has been remained in the top echelon of Asian Pacific refineries since 1990s. In addition, the performance evaluation of its ethylene plant also ranked in the top echelon of global ethylene plants in 2011, 2013, and 2015 respectively since its startup in 2010.

About The Linde Group

In the 2016 financial year, The Linde Group generated revenue of EUR 16.948 bn, making it one of the leading gases and engineering companies in the world, with approximately 60,000 employees working in more than 100 countries worldwide. The strategy of The Linde Group is geared towards long-term profitable growth and focuses on the expansion of its international business, with forward-looking products and services. Linde acts responsibly towards its shareholders, business partners, employees, society and the environment in every one of its business areas, regions and locations across the globe. The company is committed to technologies and products that unite the goals of customer value and sustainable development.

In East Asia, Linde is headquartered in Shanghai and employs more than 5,500 employees at about 70 subsidiaries and joint ventures in Greater China. In China alone, Linde operates more than 200 production facilities across key industrial centres. For more information about Linde in China, please visit www.linde-gas.com.cn.

ICIS, the leading petrochemical market intelligence provider, delivered several key presentations at APIC in Sapporo, Japan last 18-19 May 2017. These presentations have been made available to download.

The consultants at ICIS presented on the past, present and future of the petrochemical industry amid changing trading patterns and economic and political developments on day one of the event. The presentation entitled Accelerated Changes: New Scenarios for Global Refining and Petrochemicals Industries, and the Role of China covers all of the following:

Climate change and pollution concerns - The impact on refining and chemicals industries

Uncertain demand and trade flow patterns

China at a turning point: The impact of economic reforms on Asian and global economies

The presentations of ICIS market experts during the committee meetings of APIC 2017 can also be downloaded.

"Trumped" or not "Trumped"? The Coming US Petrochemical Export Surge

Survival of the Fittest - Are the Non-traditional Olefins and Polyolefins Routes Sustainable in the Low-oil, Low-naphtha Price Environment?

The Road Ahead for Asia's Styrene and Feedstocks

Asia Vinyls Market Review and the Revival of China as an Export Player

Gas or Coal-to-olefins (CTO) - Will it Ever Work in the Current Low Oil Price Environment?

ICIS is the world's largest petrochemical market information provider and has fast-growing energy and fertilizer divisions. Our aim is to give companies in global commodities markets a competitive advantage by delivering trusted pricing data, high-value news, analysis and independent consulting, enabling our customers to make better-informed trading and planning decisions. We have more than 30 years' experience in providing pricing information, news, analysis and consulting to buyers, sellers and analysts.

With a global staff of more than 800, ICIS has employees based in Houston, Washington, New York, London, Montpellier, Dusseldorf, Karlsruhe, Milan, Mumbai, Singapore, Guangzhou, Beijing, Shanghai, Tokyo and Perth. Some 350 of ICIS's staff are journalists engaged in reporting market prices and news, and ICIS is fully committed to upholding the highest journalistic principles of verification, corroboration and authentication. ICIS has a compliance framework that along with its methodologies and business processes adheres to the requirements of the IOSCO PRA Principles.

Reed Business Information provides information, analytics and data to business professionals worldwide. Our strong global products and services hold market-leading positions across a wide range of industry sectors including banking, petrochemicals and aviation where we help customers make key strategic decisions every day. RBI is part of RELX Group, a global provider of information and analytics for professional customers across industries. http://www.reedbusiness.com

About RELX

RELX Group is a world-leading provider of information and analytics for professional and business customers across industries. The group serves customers in more than 180 countries and has offices in about 40 countries. It employs approximately 30,000 people of whom half are in North America. RELX PLC is a London listed holding company which owns 52.9% of RELX Group. RELX NV is an Amsterdam listed holding company which owns 47.1% of RELX Group. The shares are traded on the London, Amsterdam and New York Stock Exchanges using the following ticker symbols: London: REL; Amsterdam: REN; New York: RELX and RENX. The total market capitalisation is approximately £33.1bn/€38.2bn/US$42.6bn. http://www.relx.com.

SURCAR 2017 takes place from June 29 to June 30 2017 in Cannes, France. The conference features the topics Industry 4.0, new technology, personalized cars and opportunities in the ever changing automotive industry. In addition, the event focuses on developments, changes and results from new technology and market trends, smart factory, and strategic issues for the coatings industry.

Dr. Dietmar Chmielewski, of Chemetall Surface Treatment will present on the evolution of thin-film pre-treatment technology and its benefits. Chemetall's metal pretreatment technology Oxsilan® provides long-term protection against corrosion and ensures optimal paint adhesion for the growing mix of metals used on car bodies. The session will take place the first day of the event on June 29 at 4.00 pm. It will also be represented by Jean-Marc Kopp and Patrick Vejrich of Chemetall.

There will be two additional presentations during the conference provided by BASF Coatings' Automotive group - Individual Colors (IC Colors) co-presented by Stefan Sickert and 2K Clearcoat co-presented by William Kosteniuk.

Chemetall, a leading global surface treatment supplier and a global business unit of BASF's Coatings division focuses on processes for the surface treatment of metals, glass and plastics. Chemetall is headquartered in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, and comprises about 40 companies and 21 production sites worldwide. For additional information, visit www.chemetall.com

About BASF's Coatings divisionThe Coatings division of BASF is a global expert in the development, production and marketing of innovative and sustainable automotive OEM and refinish coatings, as well as decorative paints. We create advanced performance solutions and drive performance, design and new applications to meet our partners' needs all over the world. BASF shares skills, knowledge and resources of interdisciplinary and global teams for the benefit of customers by operating a collaborative network of sites in Europe, North America, South America and Asia Pacific. In 2016, the Coatings division achieved global sales of about EUR3.2 billion.

In 2016, BASF acquired Chemetall, a leading global supplier of applied surface treatments for metal, plastic and glass substrates in a wide range of industries and end markets. With this expansion in portfolio, BASF becomes a more complete solution provider for coatings.

Solutions beyond your imagination -- Coatings by BASF. For more information about the Coatings division of BASF and its products, visit www.basf-coatings.com

About BASFAt BASF, we create chemistry for a sustainable future. We combine economic success with environmental protection and social responsibility. The approximately 112,000 employees in the BASF Group work on contributing to the success of our customers in nearly all sectors and almost every country in the world. Our portfolio is organized into five segments: Chemicals, Performance Products, Functional Materials & Solutions, Agricultural Solutions and Oil & Gas. BASF generated sales of more than EUR70 billion in 2015. BASF shares are traded on the stock exchanges in Frankfurt (BAS), London (BFA) and Zurich (BAS). Further information at www.basf.com.

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CHMMCTMNGTDSThu, 15 Jun 2017 19:00:00 +0800http://en.prnasia.com/story/180333-0.shtmlWASHINGTON, June 15, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The American Chemistry Council (ACC) issued the following statement in regards to Reuters' special report on International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) Monograph 112. As reported, Dr. Aaron Blair, chairman of the IARC committee who oversaw the classification of glyphosate as "probably carcinogenic," deliberately withheld research which he admits likely would have altered the cancer agency's analysis. The suppressed data from the Agricultural Health study, led by scientists at the U.S. National Cancer Institute (NCI), found no evidence of an association between glyphosate and cancer.

"These allegations suggest that an IARC Monograph has become nothing more than a rubber stamp for predetermined outcomes," said Cal Dooley, ACC President and CEO. "We encourage all countries and organizations that support the Monographs program to join us in calling for an investigation into whether IARC officials knowingly withheld data that proved a lack of association between glyphosate and cancer, and other monographs should be evaluated to determine whether similar manipulation has taken place."

Earlier this year, ACC launched the Campaign for Accuracy in Public Health Research (CAPHR), an initiative to promote credible, unbiased and transparent science as the basis of public policy decisions. CAPHR seeks reform of the IARC Monographs Program, which evaluates the carcinogenic hazard of substances and behaviors rather than the actual risk a substance poses from every day, real-world exposure.

Dooley continued, "Today's revelations lend even greater urgency to the need for fundamental reform of IARC's Monographs program, and because IARC's glyphosate monograph is fatally flawed and no longer credible, it should be immediately withdrawn."

The American Chemistry Council (ACC) represents the leading companies engaged in the business of chemistry. ACC members apply the science of chemistry to make innovative products and services that make people's lives better, healthier and safer. ACC is committed to improved environmental, health and safety performance through Responsible Care®, common sense advocacy designed to address major public policy issues, and health and environmental research and product testing. The business of chemistry is a $797 billion enterprise and a key element of the nation's economy. It is the nation's largest exporter, accounting for fourteen percent of all U.S. exports. Chemistry companies are among the largest investors in research and development. Safety and security have always been primary concerns of ACC members, and they have intensified their efforts, working closely with government agencies to improve security and to defend against any threat to the nation's critical infrastructure.

LONDON, June 14, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Based on its recent analysis of the bio-based materials market, Frost & Sullivan recognises DuPont Industrial Biosciences (DuPont) with the 2017 European Company of the Year Award for bio-based materials. DuPont is at the vanguard of innovation, developing cutting-edge, bio-based materials that improve customers' lives and meet market needs for high-performing, sustainable products. DuPont's strong team of specialists worldwide focuses on biotechnologies, chemicals, materials, and other capabilities to address evolving customer needs.

Further showcasing DuPont's commitment towards designing sustainable solutions for a variety of industries is the recent announcement of a novel polyester called Everact™. By partnering with ADM, DuPont™ Everact™ brings an exciting new technology to market that combines propanediol (PDO) with furan dicarboxylic methyl ester (FDME), another renewable monomer made from fructose, a low-cost, readily available renewable feedstock that possesses breakthrough barrier properties for packaging applications.

The company's strategic positioning in locations worldwide enables it to display its recent technological advances as well as apply its global knowledge to address local customers' unique challenges. For instance, DuPont's Innovation Center ensures an effective customer experience by inviting customers to specialized innovation sessions based on recent industry developments to discuss potential ways these products and solutions can meet local demand and address challenges in bio-based materials.

"Once customers gain access to the Innovation Centers, DuPont welcomes them to continue attending seminars and presentations to gain a steady stream of ideas and promote further thought leadership," noted Dr. Dokos. "This customer centricity ensures that in spite of investment and innovation hindrances in the market, DuPont continues to deliver leading-edge technologies and products of the highest quality."

Each year, Frost & Sullivan presents this award to the company that demonstrates excellence in terms of growth strategy and implementation. The award recognizes a high degree of innovation with products and technologies and the resulting leadership in terms of customer value and market penetration.

Frost & Sullivan Best Practices Awards recognize companies in a variety of regional and global markets for demonstrating outstanding achievement and superior performance in areas such as leadership, technological innovation, customer service, and strategic product development. Industry analysts compare market participants and measure performance through in-depth interviews, analysis, and extensive secondary research to identify best practices in the industry.

About DuPont

DuPont Industrial Biosciences works with customers across a wide range of industries to make products and industrial processes more efficient and sustainable. Through a unique combination of agriculture, biotechnology, chemistry and material science capabilities, we advance market-driven, biobased solutions to meet the needs of a growing population, while protecting our environment for future generations. For updates about how DuPont Industrial Biosciences is helping customers deliver cost-effective products with superior performance and sustainability, follow @DuPontBiobased on Twitter or visit our website at http://biosciences.dupont.com.

About Frost & Sullivan

Frost & Sullivan, the Growth Partnership Company, collaborates with clients to leverage visionary innovation that addresses the global challenges and related growth opportunities that will make or break today's market participants. For more than 50 years, Frost & Sullivan has been developing growth strategies for the global 1000, emerging businesses, the public sector, and the investment community. Contact us: Start the discussion.

INEOS Styrolution, the global leader in styrenics and leading styrenic solution provider in the household industry, has been selected by Haier as the ABS supplier for fridge liners in its new range of refrigerators launched in June 2016. Haier, the world leading brand in household appliances, had identified INEOS Styrolution's Novodur® 595CP (Liner ABS) as the material of choice for its new fridge liners application. Novodur 595CP's high ESCR property is a critical characteristic contributing to more than 25% reduction in fridge liner cracking, resulting in higher cost savings for Haier.

In March 2017, INEOS Styrolution was awarded the prestigious 2017 Haier Golden Cube Award* at its annual Global Supplier Conference in Shanghai, in recognition of INEOS Styrolution's innovation capabilities in the fridge liner application, as well as our collaborative partnership approach with Haier.

Key points:

Material of choice for processing, aesthetics and safety: The Novodur product line from INEOS Styrolution provides high impact strength, good surface appearance and good processability, enabling the creation of products that are aesthetically pleasant, durable and safe for daily household use. Novodur 595CP's high ESCR property, resistance to cycopentane blowing agent and suitability for food contact, fulfills Haier's requirements in terms of food contact safety, aesthetics and functionality.

A versatile and cost effective solution: A trusted material with excellent property retention, INEOS Styrolution's Novodur ABS is currently used in the fridge liners of top global refrigerator brands.

Quote:

Sven Riechers, Vice President, Specialties Business Management, Asia Pacific, INEOS Styrolution: "We are extremely pleased to be able to work with innovative and forward looking global brands such as Haier, helping them to find innovative solutions to further enhance their leadership of high enterprise standards in the refrigerator industry."

*The Haier Golden Cube Award was established in 2015 to promote the ecosystem between Haier and its suppliers. It is also one of the highly recognized awards in the Household industry in evaluating supplier's innovation capabilities.

About INEOS Styrolution

INEOS Styrolution is the leading, global styrenics supplier with a focus on styrene monomer, polystyrene, ABS Standard and styrenic specialties. With world-class production facilities and more than 85 years of experience, INEOS Styrolution helps its customers succeed by offering the best possible solution, designed to give them a competitive edge in their markets. The company provides styrenic applications for many everyday products across a broad range of industries, including Automotive, Electronics, Household, Construction, Healthcare, Toys/ Sports/ Leisure and Packaging. In 2016, sales were at 4.5 billion euros. INEOS Styrolution employs approximately 3,200 people and operates 16 production sites in nine countries.

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AUTCHMCPRCSTCSEHHPTRNWed, 14 Jun 2017 09:00:00 +0800http://en.prnasia.com/story/180200-0.shtmlOffer of low-cost, yet powerful materials to open up growth opportunities among technology-shy end users, finds Frost & Sullivan's TechVision team]]>
SANTA CLARA, California, June 14, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --The escalating need for materials with tunable properties and high functionality is driving R&D in chemicals and advanced materials, especially in the industries of healthcare, infrastructure, automotive, and oil and gas. Technology developers' keenness to enhance the user-friendliness of products, as well as their weight, energy efficiency, multi-functionality, strength and cost, is attracting a large number of stakeholders to the chemical and advanced materials space. Acknowledging the changing demands of end users, manufacturers are also employing sophisticated, energy-efficient production processes to roll out chemicals and materials that are high-performing but still have low volatile organic compound (VOC) content.

Top Technologies in Chemicals and Advanced Materials, 2017 is part of Frost & Sullivan's TechVision (Chemicals & Advanced Materials) Growth Partnership Subscription. The study offers an overview of the top 10 materials, chemicals and coatings technologies that will have the highest impact across industries and applications in 2017. Each technology is analyzed in terms of its market potential, application segmentation and innovation, as well as intellectual property landscape. It also highlights funding deals, innovation ecosystem, and the technology development and adoption scenario.

"The automotive and transportation sector is expected to be the dominant end user in the advanced high strength, lightweight materials due to its high production volumes," noted Frost & Sullivan TechVision Senior Research AnalystSanchari Chatterjee Maity. "Need for high performance and continued emphasis on emissions, esp. in the automotive and transportation industry is further accelerating the shift toward better-performing alternatives that also have low weight-to-volume ratio."

While there is a steady stream of technology developments and sustained innovations, chemicals and materials manufacturers are challenged to set their products apart in the highly competitive market. Furthermore, they are battling the deep set technology shyness towards adoption of new materials of end users in a number of industries.

"Metal alloys, reinforced polymers and composites that can substitute steel are facing hurdles to large-scale adoption as steel is still perceived as a stronger material, despite its tendency to corrode. Self-healing materials are also gaining with automotive, construction, oil and gas and coating industries set to be among the early adopters," noted Maity.

To combat end users' apprehensions about adopting new materials and chemicals, technology stakeholders are focusing on improving material processing techniques and identifying new low-cost raw materials. There have been a slew of material and coating introductions globally, but the regions with the most R&D activity are:

North America: Commercialization and demand for the majority of the technologies are highest in North America. The rising demand, especially in the automotive, aerospace, construction, oil and gas, and energy sectors, encourages the construction of large manufacturing facilities to produce these materials.

Europe: The UK, Switzerland and Germany are looking to develop innovative material technologies across key applications. The European Union plays a key role in funding basic-stage R&D of such materials. Stringent environmental regulations create high demand for novel materials and coatings solutions.

Asia-Pacific: Intense R&D activities, growing consumer power and better awareness of energy conservation make it the fastest-growing market. Japan, China, Korea and India are the key players in chemicals and materials technology development and penetration.

About TechVision

Frost & Sullivan's global TechVision practice is focused on innovation, disruption and convergence, and provides a variety of technology-based alerts, newsletters and research services as well as growth consulting services. Its premier offering, the TechVision program, identifies and evaluates the most valuable emerging and disruptive technologies enabling products with near-term potential. A unique feature of the TechVision program is an annual selection of 50 technologies that can generate convergence scenarios, possibly disrupt the innovation landscape, and drive transformational growth. View a summary of our TechVision program by clicking on the following link: http://ifrost.frost.com/TechVision_Demo.

About Frost & Sullivan

Frost & Sullivan, the Growth Partnership Company, works in collaboration with clients to leverage visionary innovation that addresses the global challenges and related growth opportunities that will make or break today's market participants. For more than 50 years, we have been developing growth strategies for the global 1000, emerging businesses, the public sector and the investment community. Contact us: Start the discussion